Heat treatment for viral inactivation

Heat treatment apparatus for achieving viral inactivation in a blood product, said apparatus comprising;

• a length of small diameter dielectric tubing having opposite ends and formed into a series of coils including a first coil, a second coil and a third coil;
• a first connector mounted to one end of the tubing for connecting the tubing to a blood product source;
• a second connector mounted to the other end of the tubing for connecting the tubing to a blood product destination;
• flow means for flowing blood product from said source along said tubing at a selected flow rate;
• a first electromagnetic heating chamber enclosing said tubing, said chamber having an access opening receiving said first coil into said first heating chamber;
• energy producing means connected to said first heating chamber for providing electromagnetic energy to said first heating chamber to heat the blood product flowing in said first coil from an initial temperature to a selected elevated temperature sufficient for viral inactivation;
• a cooling chamber adjacent to said first heating chamber and enclosing said tubing, said cooling chamber having an access opening for receiving said second coil into said cooling chamber;
• cooling means connected to said cooling chamber for rapidly cooling the blood product flowing in the second coil;
• a second electromagnetic heating chamber adjacent to said cooling chamber and having an access opening for receiving said third coil into said second heating chamber;
• additional energy producing means connected to said second heating chamber for providing electromagnetic energy to said second heating chamber to heat the blood product flowing in said third coil;
• means in said first and second heating chambers and said cooling chamber for radiometrically monitoring the temperatures of the blood product flowing in said first, second and third coils, respectively, and producing first, second and third temperature signals in response thereto, and
• control means connected to said monitoring means and responsive to the first and second temperature signals for controlling the flow means, energy producing means and/or cooling means to impart a selected time-temperature profile to the blood product flowing along the tubing and to deliver the blood product to the third coil at a selected temperature somewhat below body temperature, said control means also controlling the additional energy producing means so as to reheat the blood product flowing in the third coil to body temperature whereby the body temperature is approached from below.