Method and apparatus for preparing platelet rich plasma and concentrates thereof

A combination comprising:

• a portable separator assembly operable to separate erythrocytes from a whole blood sample, having:
• a centrifugal separator unit, and a motor that are capable of separating erythrocytes from blood to produce platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) in less than 3 minutes with a total power consumption of less than 500 mAh;
• a) the centrifugal separator unit consisting essentially of a centrifugal drum and an outer annular erythrocyte capture chamber:
• 1. the centrifugal drum having a wall with an inner wall surface with an upper edge and a lower edge, a drum bottom, and a central axis, the drum bottom defining a floor sloping downward from the lower edge, and
• 2. the upper annular erythrocyte capture chamber having a first wall contacting or shared with the centrifugal drum wall, a bottom wall at a position between the upper and lower edge, and an outer wall defining an erythrocyte capture region;
• b) a battery operable to provide about 500 mAh;
• and
• c) the motor having a drive axis connected to the centrifugal separator unit, the motor having the capacity to rotate the centrifugal drum at a speed of at least 2,000 rpm for 120 seconds;
• and
• a plasma concentrating syringe separate from and operable to cooperate with the centrifugal separator unit, the syringe having a Luer fitting for connection to an access tube that extends to the bottom of the centrifugal drum to draw out a volume of the PRP from the centrifugal drum and concentrate the separated PRP.

A portable, enclosed, disposable, self-contained, single-use platelet-rich-plasma PRP from whole blood separator suitable for office use or emergency use for trauma victims, the portable separator comprising:

• a single isolated centrifugal separator unit consisting essentially of a single drum and an outer chamber,
• the single drum having an annular wall extending from a first end to a second end, where at the second end a bottom wall slants to a central depression near a central axis of the single drum and an inner surface of the annular wall slopes outward away from the central axis, and
• the outer chamber having a substantially U-shaped or V-shaped cross section defined by a first wall spaced a distance from the annular wall of the single drum, a second wall contacting or shared with the annular wall of the single drum and a bottom wall contacting both the first wall and the second wall,
• wherein a void is not present between the annular wall of the single drum and second wall of the outer chamber and all portions of the whole blood are contained only within the single drum and outer chamber,
• wherein the bottom wall is nearer the first end than the second end of the single drum;
• a motor capable of spinning the single isolated centrifugal separator unit to separate erythrocytes from the whole blood to produce the PRP;
• a drive axle interconnecting the single isolated centrifugal separator unit and the motor, wherein the motor drives the drive axle and the single isolated centrifugal separator unit to at least 1200 rpm for less than 3 minutes with a total power consumption of less than 500 mAh;
• a battery operable to provide the 500 mAh to the motor;
• a container to sealingly contain all of the single centrifugal separator unit, the motor, and the battery;
• an access port through the container operable to allow access to the central depression in the single drum of the single centrifugal separator unit;
• and
• a separate isolated plasma concentrating syringe having:
• a cylindrical barrel with an inner surface and an inlet/outlet port operable to cooperate with the access port to withdraw PRP from the central depression,
• a cylindrical piston having an outer surface engaging the inner surface of the barrel,
• concentrating desiccated hydrogel beads positioned between the piston and the inlet/outlet port, and
• a filter positioned adjacent the inlet/outlet port to prevent escape of the concentrating desiccated hydrogel beads through the inlet/outlet port,
• wherein movement of the piston in a direction away from the inlet/outlet port draws the material into the concentrating chamber to allow water to be removed from the PRP by the concentrating desiccated hydrogel beads and movement of the piston toward the inlet/outlet port expels concentrated PRP through the inlet/outlet port;
• wherein concentrating the PRP occurs without activating the platelets or denaturing the fibrinogen in the PRP.