Blood processing method and apparatus using a centrifugation bowl with filter core
AssigneeHaemonetics Corporation
InventorEtienne Pages
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is directed to blood processing method and apparatus utilizing a centrifugation bowl with a filter core disposed within the bowl. The centrifugation bowl includes a rotating bowl body defining an enclosed separation chamber. A generally cylindrical filter core is disposed inside the separation chamber. The filter core includes a filter membrane that is sized to block at least white blood cells, but to allow plasma to pass through. The filter core is generally arranged within the separation chamber such that plasma is forced to pass through the filter core before being removed from the centrifugation bowl. The addition of the filter core provides an efficient, low-cost method for recovering a “purer” plasma fraction from a donor.
Claims22
A method for collecting a plasma fraction from whole blood, the method comprising the steps of
- providing a rotary centrifugation bowl having a rotary axis and a tubular core with a permeable side wall surrounding said axis, said bowl also having a bottom wall and a side wall spaced radially from the core side wall;
- delivering whole blood via a conduit into the bowl;
- rotating the bowl about said axis at a speed such that the plasma fraction of the whole blood becomes separated from other more dense components of the whole blood due to centrifugal force and is forced under pressure from the other blood components through the core side wall into the interior of the core while the other blood components remain outside the core;
- conducting the plasma fraction from the interior of the core while the bowl is rotating;
- stopping the delivery of whole blood into the bowl and the rotation of the bowl so that the other blood components settle to the bottom of the bowl, and
- removing the other blood components from the bottom of the bowl.
Blood processing apparatus for collecting a plasma fraction from whole blood, said apparatus comprising
- a header;
- a centrifugation bowl rotatable relative to the header about an axis, said bowl having a side wall radially spaced from said axis and a bottom wall;
- a tubular core within said bowl and fixed to rotate therewith, said core having a permeable side wall spaced opposite the side wall of the bowl and an open bottom spaced from the bottom wall of the bowl;
- a fluid inlet passing through the header into the interior of said core, said inlet extending beyond the bottom of the core toward the bottom wall of the bowl;
- a fluid outlet extending from the interior of the core through the header.
Apparatus for processing blood to separate and collect a selected lower density component thereof from other higher density components of the blood, said apparatus comprising
- a centrifugation bowl configured for engagement by a rotary chuck and adapted for rotation about an axis, said bowl having a side wall spaced radially from the axis and a closed bottom;
- a tubular core having a permeable side wall surrounding said axis within the bowl and fixed to rotate with the bowl, said core wall being spaced opposite the side wall of the bowl and having an interior surface;
- a means for delivering blood into the bowl without contacting the interior surface of the core and for removing any of said other blood components that settle to the bottom of the bowl;
- and
- a fluid outlet for conducting the selected blood component from the interior of the core out the bowl.
Apparatus for processing blood to separate and collect a selected lower density component thereof from other higher density components of the blood, said apparatus comprising
- a centrifugation bowl configured for engagement by a rotary chuck and adapted for rotation about an axis, said bowl having a side wall spaced radially from the axis and a closed bottom;
- a tubular core having a permeable wall surrounding said axis within the bowl and fixed to rotate with the bowl, said core wall being spaced opposite the side wall of the bowl and having an interior surface;
- a fluid inlet for delivering blood into the bowl without contacting the interior surface of the core, the fluid inlet extending along said axis to the bottom of the core, the fluid inlet including conduit means for removing any of said other blood components that settle to the bottom of the bowl, said conduit means constituting an extension of the fluid inlet, said extension extending to a location relatively close to the bottom of the bowl;
- and
- a fluid outlet for conducting the selected blood component from the interior of the core out the bowl.
Apparatus for processing blood to separate and collect a selected lower density component thereof from other higher density components of the blood, said apparatus comprising
- a centrifugation bowl configured for engagement by a rotary chuck and adapted for rotation about an axis, said bowl having a side wall spaced radially from the axis and a closed bottom;
- a tubular core having a permeable wall surrounding said axis within the bowl and fixed to rotate with the bowl, said core wall being spaced opposite the side wall of the bowl and having an interior surface, a bottom opening and an impermeable re-entrant wall which surrounds said bottom opening and extends within said core;
- a means for delivering blood into the bowl without contacting the interior surface of the core and for removing any of said other blood components that settle to the bottom of the bowl;
- and
- a fluid outlet for conducting the selected blood component from the interior of the core out the bowl.
Apparatus for processing blood to separate and collect a selected lower density component thereof from other higher density components of the blood, said apparatus comprising
- a centrifugation bowl configured for engagement by a rotary chuck and adapted for rotation about an axis, said bowl having a side wall spaced radially from the axis and a closed bottom;
- a tubular core having a permeable side wall surrounding said axis within the bowl and fixed to rotate with the bowl, said core wall being spaced opposite the side wall of the bowl and having an interior surface, the core side wall including a filter membrane containing two or more layers, each membrane layer having a pore size, the pore sizes of the layers progressively decreasing toward said axis;
- a means for delivering blood into the bowl without contacting the interior surface of the core and for removing any of said other blood components that settle to the bottom of the bowl;
- and
- a fluid outlet for conducting the selected blood component from the interior of the core out the bowl.
Apparatus for processing blood to separate and collect a selected lower density component thereof from other higher density components of the blood, said apparatus comprising
- a centrifugation bowl configured for engagement by a rotary chuck and adapted for rotation about an axis, said bowl having a side wall spaced radially from the axis and a closed bottom;
- a tubular core having a permeable side wall surrounding said axis within the bowl and fixed to rotate with the bowl, said core wall being spaced opposite the side wall of the bowl and having an interior surface, the core side wall comprising a relatively rigid cylinder having flow channels therethrough and a sleeve-like filter medium encircling the cylinder;
- a means for delivering blood into the bowl without contacting the interior surface of the core and for removing any of said other blood components that settle to the bottom of the bowl;
- and
- a fluid outlet for conducting the selected blood component from the interior of the core out the bowl.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.