Detecting specific medical conditions from erythrocyte density distrubition in a centrifuged anticoagulated whole blood sample

A method for detecting abnormal mammalian physiologic conditions which are characterized by deviations from norm of certain erythrocyte parameters in a donor blood sample, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a sample tube containing a sample of mammalian anticoagulated whole blood from a blood donor and a plurality of artificial density markers which are operable to form discernible bands in the blood sample, each density marker in each band having a different density from density markers in any other band, and the density of each density marker being within an expected range of densities of erythrocytes;
• b) centrifuging the sample tube so as to gravimetrically separate the erythrocytes into an erythrocyte column which is separate from the remaining components of the blood sample, and so as to embed the density markers in the erythrocyte column whereby erythrocyte subsets in an erythrocyte density distribution (EDD) gradient are demarcated by density markers which are embedded in the erythrocyte column;
• c) measuring and recording distances between adjacent density markers in the erythrocyte column to provide a plurality of EDD values;
• d) determining an EDD curve from said EDD values;
• e) measuring and recording a hematocrit (HCT) value from said erythrocyte column to provide an HCT value for the centrifuged blood sample;
• f) defining the erythrocyte density standard deviation (EDSD), mean erythrocyte density (MED), and curve skewness (R.sup.2) in said determined EDD curve;
• g) comparing any noted differences in one or more of EDSD, MED, R.sup.2 and HCT with empirical EDSD, MED and R.sup.2 EDD curve data, and with HCT data, which have been derived from physiologically abnormal mammalian populations to determine whether any observed differences, or any combination thereof, are indicative of an abnormal physiologic condition in the blood donor.

A method for detecting abnormal mammalian physiologic conditions which are characterized by deviations from normal erythrocyte density standard deviation (EDSD) in a donor sample of blood, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a sample tube containing a sample of mammalian anticoagulated whole blood from a blood donor and a plurality of artificial density markers which are operable to form discernible bands in the blood sample, each density marker in each band having a different density from density markers in any other band, and the density of each density marker being within an expected range of densities of erythrocytes;
• b) centrifuging the sample tube so as to gravimetrically separate the erythrocytes into an erythrocyte column which is separate from the remaining components of the blood sample, and so as to embed the density markers in the erythrocyte column whereby erythrocyte subsets in an erythrocyte density distribution (EDD) gradient are demarcated by density markers embedded in the erythrocyte column;
• c) measuring and recording distances between adjacent density markers in the erythrocyte column to provide a plurality of EDD values;
• d) determining a donor EDD curve from said EDD values;
• e) defining the erythrocyte density standard deviation (EDSD) in said donor EDD curve;
• and
• f) comparing any noted differences in said defined EDSD with empirical EDSD curve data which have been derived from physiologically abnormal mammalian populations to determine whether any such differences are indicative of an abnormal physiologic condition in the blood donor.

A method for detecting abnormal mammalian physiologic conditions which are characterized by deviations from norm of mean erythrocyte density (MED) in a sample of blood from a blood donor, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a sample tube containing a sample of donor mammalian anticoagulated whole blood and a plurality of artificial density markers which are operable to form discernible bands in the blood sample, each density marker in each band having a different density from density markers in any other band, and the density of each density marker being within an expected range of densities of donor erythrocytes;
• b) centrifuging the sample tube so as to gravimetrically separate the donor erythrocytes into a donor erythrocyte column which is separate from the remaining components of the donor blood sample, and so as to embed the density markers in the donor erythrocyte column whereby erythrocyte subsets in a donor erythrocyte density distribution (EDD) gradient are demarcated by density markers embedded in the erythrocyte column;
• c) measuring and recording distances between adjacent density markers in the erythrocyte column to provide a plurality of donor EDD values;
• d) determining a donor EDD curve from said donor EDD values;
• e) determining the MED in said donor EDD curve;
• and
• f) comparing any noted differences in donor MED with empirical abnormal MED curve data which have been derived from physiologically abnormal donor populations to determine whether any such noted differences are indicative of an abnormal physiologic condition in the blood donor.

A method for detecting mammalian physiologic conditions which are characterized by deviations from norm of curve skewness (R.sup.2) of an erythrocyte density distribution (EDD) curve in a donor blood sample, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a sample tube containing a sample of mammalian anticoagulated whole blood from a blood donor and a plurality of artificial density markers which are operable to form discernible bands in the blood sample, each density marker in each band having a different density from density markers in any other band, and the density of each density marker being within an expected range of densities of erythrocytes;
• b) centrifuging the sample tube so as to gravimetrically separate the erythrocytes into an erythrocyte column which is separate from the remaining components of the blood sample, and so as to embed the density markers in the erythrocyte column whereby erythrocyte subsets in an EDD gradient are demarcated by density markers embedded in the erythrocyte column;
• c) measuring and recording distances between adjacent density markers in the erythrocyte column to provide a plurality of EDD values;
• d) determining a donor EDD curve from said donor EDD values;
• e) defining the R.sup.2 in said donor EDD curve;
• and
• f) comparing any noted differences in R.sup.2 with empirical R.sup.2 EDD curve data which have been derived from physiologically abnormal mammalian populations in order to determine whether any such differences are indicative of an abnormal physiologic condition in the blood donor.