Adaptive apheresis apparatus

Apheresis apparatus comprising:

• a. means for withdrawing blood from a donor, said means comprising a phlebotomy needle and a pump;
• b. means for separating the withdrawn blood into a plurality of components;
• c. means for obtaining the concentration, in the donor's blood, of a selected blood component;
• d. input means for obtaining, from an operator, a desired amount of the selected blood component;
• and
• e. control means, coupled to the withdrawal and separating means, for collecting a predetermined amount of the selected blood component based on the obtained concentration, the control means operating the withdrawing means and the separating means in cycles each comprising:
• i. operation of the pump to withdraw, through the phlebotomy needle, an amount of blood from the donor and provision thereof to the separating means, which separates the withdrawn blood into the plurality of components, the amount of blood being sufficient to fill the separating means;
• ii. collection, from the separating means, of the selected blood component;
• and
• iii. return of blood components remaining in the separating means to the donor,
• the apparatus exhibiting, for the selected blood component, a collection efficiency factor specifying a collectable percentage of the selected blood component, the control means being configured to calculate, based on the collection efficiency factor, the obtained concentration and the amount of blood collected during a cycle, the number of cycles needed to collect the predetermined amount of the selected blood component, and the apparatus being further configured to collect operator-entered amounts of the selected blood component corresponding to non-integral numbers of cycles, each non-integral number including a mantissa portion, by
• (i) in a penultimate cycle, during return of blood components remaining in the separating means to the donor, retaining in the separating means a fraction of the remaining blood components equal to the mantissa, and
• (ii) in a final cycle, during withdrawal of blood from the donor, withdrawing only enough blood to fill the separating means.

Apheresis apparatus comprising:

• a. means for withdrawing blood from a donor, said means comprising a phlebotomy needle and a pump;
• b. variable-volume separation means for separating the withdrawn blood into a plurality of components, the separating means having a volume;
• c. means for obtaining the concentration, in the donor's blood, of a selected blood component;
• d. control means, coupled to the withdrawal means and the separating means for collecting a predetermined amount of the selected blood component based on the obtained concentration, the control means operating the withdrawing means and the separating means in cycles each comprising:
• i. operation of the pump to withdraw, through the phlebotomy needle, an amount of blood from the donor and provision thereof to the separating means, which separates the withdrawn blood into the plurality of components, the amount of blood being sufficient to fill the separating means;
• ii. collection, from the separating means, of the selected blood component in the collection container;
• and
• iii. return of blood components remaining in the separating means to the donor,
• the control means also determining, based on the concentration of the selected blood component and the predetermined amount thereof an optimal separation-chamber volume and causing the separation chamber to assume the optimal volume.