Blood analyzing method and apparatus

• US 3,874,850 A
• Filed: 11/15/1972
• Issued: 04/01/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ebbe Johansen, Jorgen Aage Preben Lund, Jorgen Andersen, Soren Kai Sorensen
• Original Assignee: Ebbe Johansen, Jorgen Aage Preben Lund, Jorgen Andersen, Soren Kai Sorensen
• Inventors: Sorensen, Soren Kai, Lund, Jorgen Aage Preben, Andersen, Jorgen, Johansen, Ebbe
• Primary Examiner(s): Serwin, R. E.
• Application Number:
  US05/306,661
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 23/23B,253R,259 356/39,40 324/3R,3B 204/195B,195IT
• US Class Current: 436/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4925 measuring blood gas content, e.g. O2, CO2 , HCO3
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/115831 Condition or time responsive

Abstract

An automatic blood sample analyzer for automatically measuring one or more unknown data or parameters of the blood samples, such as partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen, the pH-value, and the hemoglobin concentration, and the analyzer comprises computer means for calculating on the basis of the measured values a number of other parameters indicating the acid-base status of the blood sample. The analyzer comprises means for automatically performing calibration measurements on two different calibrating liquids or solutions. One of these solutions may be equilibrated with a gas mixture containing known amounts of O2 and CO2, and the other solution may be equilibrated with a gas mixture containing a known and different amount of at least CO2. The computer means are adapted to receive and store the calibration measurement values and to base the calculations of the latest received set of calibration values. The analyzer may also comprise means for photometrically measuring the hemoglobin contents of samples of whole blood.

Claims

1. A METHOD OF ANALYZING BLOOD, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

A. PASSING A BLOOD SAMPLE INTO CONDUIT MEANS PROVIDED WITH MEASURING DEVICES, B. MEASURING INDICATIONS OF BLOOD PARAMETERS BY SAID DEVICES, SAID PARAMETERS COMRPISING PH, PCO2 AND PO2, C. DISCHARGING SAID BLOOD SAMPLE FROM SAID CONDUIT MEANS, D. PASSING A RINSING FLUID THROUGH SAID CONDUIT MEANS BEFORE ANOTHER SAMPLE IS PASSED INTO IT, E. PASSING AT CONTROLLED INTERVALS AND IN SUCCESSION AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST TWO CILIBRATING FLUIDS HAVING DIFFERENT SETS OF CALIBRATION VALUES OF PH, PCO2 AND PO2 THROUGH SAID CONDUIT MEANS, F. MEASURING SAID SETS OF CALIBRATION VALUES WITH THE MEASURING DEVICES, G. CONTROLLING THE OPERATIONAL SEQUENCE OF THE STEPS (B) THROUGH (F) BY CONTROL MEANS, H. STORING SAID SETS OF CALIBRATION VALUES RECEIVED FROM SAID MEASURING DEVICES;

AND (I) CONVERTING SAID MEASURED INDICATIONS INTO EASILY INTERPRETED UNITS ON THE BASIS ON THE CALIBRATION VALUES.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said parameters being measured further comprise the hemoglobin contents of the blood, the measurement of the hemoglobin contents being performed photometrically on whole blood.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the calibrating fluids used comprise a first solution equilibrated with a gas mixture containing known amounts of O2 and CO2, and a second solution equilibrated with a gas mixture containing a known different amount of at least CO2.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the gas pressure to which the calibrating fluids are exposed is concurrently measured during measurement of said set of calibration values, the pH, PO2 and PCO2 values of said calibrating fluids being calculated by said computer means on the basis of said concurrently measured gas pressure, the relative amounts of O2 and CO2 in said equilibrating gas mixtures, and the concentration and other known cOnstants of said first and second solutions.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said conduit means are flushed with calibrating fluid before measuring said set of calibration values of the respective calibrating fluid.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said conduit means are flushed with one of said equilibrating gas mixtures after discharging the corresponding calibrating fluid therefrom and prior to passing another blood sample thereinto.

7. A method in analyzing blood, said method comprising the following steps:

a. passing a sample of whole blood into conduit means provided with measuring devices comprising measuring electrodes and a photometer device, b. measuring indications for the blood parameters pH, PCO2, PO2 and hemoglobin contents by said electrodes and photometer device, respectively, c. discharging said blood sample from said conduit means, d. passing a rinsing fluid through said conduit means before another sample is passed into it, e. passing at controlled intervals and in succession amounts at least two calibrating fluids having different sets of calibration values of pH, PCO2 and PO2 through said conduit means, f. measuring said calibration sets of values by the measuring devices, g. controlling the operational sequence of the steps (b) through (f) by control means, and h. storing said sets of calibration values received from said measuring devices; and

(i) converting said measured indications into easily interpreted units on the basis of calibration values.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the calibrating fluids used comprise a first solution equilibrated with a gas mixture containing known amounts of O2 and CO2, and a second solution equilibrated with a gas mixture containing a different known amount of at least CO2.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the gas pressure to which the calibrating fluids are exposed, is concurrently measured during measurement of said set of calibration values, the pH, PO2 and PCO2 values of said calibrating fluids being calculated by said computer means on the basis of said concurrently measured gas pressure, the relative amounts of O2 and CO2 in said equilibrating gas mixtures, and the concentration and other known constants of said first and second solutions.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said conduit means are flushed with calibrating fluid before measuring said set of calibration values of the respective calibrating fluid.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said conduit means are flushed with one of said equilibrating gas mixtures after discharging the corresponding calibrating fluid therefrom and prior to passing another blood sample thereinto.

12. An automatic blood sample analyzer comprising:

a. conduit means having a blood sample inlet section and a measuring section, said measuring section including self-operated means for measuring at least one parameter of a blood sample, b. means for discharging the blood sample from the measuring section when measurements have been performed by said measuring means, c. rinsing fluid storage means, d. means for flowing rinsing fluid from said storage means through said measuring and inlet conduit sections, e. calibrating fluid storage means, f. means for flowing amounts of calibrating fluids from said storage means into said measuring section, g. means for discharging said amounts of calibrating fluids from the measuring section, and h. self-operated control means including computer means for automatically controlling the operational sequence of said flow means and discharge means, and for automatically converting the parameters of a fluidmeasured by said measuring means to values based on calibration values obtained by measuring the parameters of said calibrating fluids in said measuring section.

13. An automatic blood sampLe analyzer according to claim 12, wherein said means for moving, calibrating and rinsing fluid and said means for discharging blood and calibrating fluid comprise pumping means.

14. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 12, wherein said measuring means comprise electrodes for measuring pH, PO2, and PCO2 of blood samples.

15. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 14, wherein said measuring means further comprise photometric means for measuring the hemoglobin content of the blood sample.

16. An automatic blood sampler analyzer according to claim 14, wherein said calibrating fluid storage means comprise two storage containers for calibrating liquids and means for equilibrating said calibrating liquids with gas mixtures of known composition.

17. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 12, further comprising means for flowing an amount of blood from said inlet section into said measuring section.

18. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 17, wherein said inlet section comprises walls having transparent portions.

19. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 17, wherein said conduit means further comprise a drainage section, said inlet section comprising a transitional storage chamber to which said drainage section is connected.

20. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 19, wherein said transitional storage chamber comprises transparent wall parts.

21. An automatic blood sample analyser according to claim 19, wherein said conduit means further comprise a shunt section connecting said drainage section and an end portion of the inlet section, the part of the shunt section adjacent to the inlet end portion comprising a moveable part movable between a closed position in which said movable part communicates with the inlet end portion, and an open position, in which the shunt section is separated from the inlet end portion.

22. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 21, further comprising switch means for starting the operational sequence of the analyzer, said switch means comprising means operated by moving said movable part of the shunt section.

23. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 21, wherein said movable part of the shunt section comprises an enlarged end portion which in the closed position of said movable part surrounds the free end of said inlet end portion in spaced relation and is in tight engagement with a shoulder on said inlet end portion.

24. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 19, further comprising liquid sensors applying signals to the control and computer means for controlling means for passing blood from the inlet section into the measuring section, said sensors being arranged downstream of said transitional storage container and said measuring means.

25. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 14, and further comprising temperature control means for maintaining said measuring section and said fluid storage means at a substantially constant temperature.

26. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 25, wherein said control means comprise air heating and air circulating means.

27. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 25, wherein said temperature control means comprise heat accumulating means for heating a blood sample passing through said inlet section.

28. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 19, wherein said inlet and measuring sections are arranged in an upright position.

29. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 16, further comprising means for measuring gas pressure in said fluid storage means and including a transducer for converting the measured pressure values into electrical signals to be transmitted to said control and computer means.

30. An automatic blood sample analyzer comprising:

a. conduit means having a blood sample inlet section and a measuring section, saId measuring section having self-operated measuring means including electrodes for measuring indications for pH, PO2 and PCO2, and a photometer device for measuring the hemoglobin contents of a sample of whole blood, b. means for discharging said blood sample from the measuring section when measurements have been performed by said measuring means, c. rinsing fluid storage means, d. means for flowing rinsing fluid from said storage means through said measuring and inlet conduit sections, e. calibrating fluid storage means, f. means for flowing amounts of calibrating fluids from said storage means into said measuring section, g. means for discharging said amounts of calibrating fluids from the measuring section, and h. self-operated control means including computer means for automatically controlling the operational sequence of said flow means and discharge means, and for automatically converting the indications measured by said measuring means to values based on calibration values obtained by measuring the corresponding indications for said calibrating fluids in said measuring section.

31. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 30, wherein said calibrating fluid storage means comprise two storage containers for calibrating liquids and means for equilibrating said calibrating liquids with gas mixtures of known composition.

32. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 31, further comprising means for flowing a sample of blood from said inlet section into said measuring section.

33. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 32, wherein said means for flowing calibrating and rinsing fluid and said means for moving and discharging blood and calibrating fluid comprise common pumping means.

34. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 33, wherein said inlet section comprises walls having transparent portions.

35. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 33, wherein said conduit means further comprise a drainage section, said inlet section comprising a transitional storage chamber to which said drainage section is connected.

36. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 35, wherein said transitional storage chamber comprises walls having transparent portions.

37. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 35, wherein said conduit means further comprise a shunt section connecting said drainage section and an end portion of the inlet section, the part of the shunt section adjacent to the inlet end portion comprising a movable part movable between a closed position in which said movable part communicates with the inlet end portion, and an open position in which the shunt section is separated from the inlet end portion.

38. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 37, further comprising switch means for starting the operational sequence of the analyzer, said switch means comprising means operated by moving said mavable part of the shunt section.

39. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 37, wherein said movable part of the shunt section comprises an enlarged end portion which in the closed position of said movable part surrounds the free end of said inlet end portion in spaced relation and is in tight engagement with a shoulder on said inlet end portion.

40. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 35, further comprising blood sensors for applying signals to the control and computer means for controlling the means for passing blood from the inlet section into the measuring section, said sensors being arranged downstream of said transitional storage container and said measuring means.

41. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 31 and further comprising temperature control means for maintaining said measuring section and said fluid storage means at a substantially constant temperature.

42. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 41, wherein saiD control means comprise air heating and air circulating means.

43. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 41, wherein said temperature control means comprise heat accumulating means for heating a blood sample passing through said inlet section.

44. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 35, wherein said inlet and measuring sections are arranged in an upright position.

45. An automatic blood sample analyzer according to claim 31 further comprising means for measuring gas pressure in said storage containers and including a transducer for converting the measured pressure values into electrical signals to be transmitted to said control and computer means.

46. An apparatus for measuring indications for blood parameters including pH, PO2, and PCO2, said apparatus comprising:

a. electrodes for measuring indications of blood parameters and converting them into electrical signals, b. self-operated calibrating means for use in calibrating said measuring electrodes, said calibrating means comprising means for equilibrating first and second calibrating liquids with different gas mixtures of known composition, c. self-operated means for moving said equilibrated calibrating fluids separately and at intervals into contact with said electrodes so as to enable said electrodes to perform calibration measurements thereon, and d. computer means for converting said measured indications into easily conceivable units, said computer means comprising means to store calibrating measurement signals received from said electrodes and to base the conversion of measured indications on the stored calibrating measurement signals.

47. An apparatus according to claim 46, further comprising means for measuring the gas pressure above said equilibrated calibrating liquids, and a transducer for converting the measured pressure values into electrical signals, said computer means comprising means to store electrical signals received from said transducer and to base the conversion of measured indications thereon.

48. An apparatus according to claim 46, further comprising photometric means for measuring the hemoglobin contents of a sample of whole blood.