Apparatus and method for separating fluid into components thereof

• US 4,402,680 A
• Filed: 07/09/1981
• Issued: 09/06/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Haemonetics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Haemonetics Corporation
• Inventors: Schoendorfer, Donald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jenkins, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US06/281,649
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 494/1, 494/2, 494/3, 494/4, 494/5, 494/6, 494/10, 494/27, 494/85, 494/37, 604/6, 604/131, 210/104, 210/112, 210/113, 210/115, 210/119
• US Class Current: 494/3
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 13/00 Control arrangements specially designed for centrifuges; Programme control of centrifuges control arrangements for feed, charge, or discharge B04B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 5/0428 with flexible receptacles

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus are disclosed for sealing the outlet port of a flexible blood-processing bag after a separated first blood component has been expressed therefrom. The improvements relate to the use of a valve contained within the flexible blood-processing bag and responsive to the difference in specific gravities between first blood component and second blood component. For example, the valve may comprise a stopper ball having a specific gravity which allows it to float at the interface between first and second blood component.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in the centrifugal separation of blood into at least a first blood component and a second blood component, comprising, in combination:

a. a flexible blood processing bag having an inlet port and an outlet port;

b. blood-compatible tubing providing fluid communication between the inlet port of said flexible blood processing bag and connection means for connecting said blood compatible tubing to a source of blood to be separated;

c. a receiver-container for receiving first blood component separated in said flexible blood processing bag;

d. blood-compatible tubing providing a fluid communication path between the outlet port of said flexible blood processing bag and said receiver container; and

e. valve means for preventing fluid communication between said flexible blood processing bag and said receiver container in response to the difference between the specific gravities of separated first and second blood components.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said valve means comprises a stopper having a specific gravity which is higher than the specific gravity of first blood component but lower than the specific gravity of second blood component.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said stopper is contained within a guide located at the outlet port of said flexible blood processing bag.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said guide includes means for preventing sealing of said outlet port caused by the flow of first blood component through said port.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for preventing sealing comprise flow passages in said guide located between said outlet port and the normal resting position of said stopper.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said stopper prises a flap connected to the interior surface of said flexible blood processing bag adjacent to said outlet port.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said stopper comprises a ball.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said receiver container comprises a flexible blood processing bag whereby said second blood component can be further separated therein.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said receiver container has an outlet port connected to an additional receiver container.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the valve has a slotted valve seat to permit a slow flow of fluid across the valve even when the body is seated.

11. Apparatus comprising:

a. a flexible blood processing bag having an output port and adapted to contain anticoagulated whole blood;

b. a receiving container having an input port and adapted to receive a component of said whole blood;

c. tubing means providing fluid communication between the output port of the bag and the input port of the receiving container; and

d. valve means for terminating flow of fluid component out the output port of the bag in response to the specific gravity of said component.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the valve means is located at the output port of the bag.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the valve means comprises a float stopper having a specific gravity intermediate the specific gravity component flowing to the receiver container and the remaining components.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the container is also flexible and has an output port.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the valve means includes flow means for permitting flow to resume at a much slower rate.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 including an additional container having an input port and adapted to receive a fluid component of the component in the first recited container.

17. In a process wherein blood is separated into a first blood component and second blood component in a blood processing chamber and first blood component is thereafter caused to flow through an outlet port of said chamber through a conduit and into a receiver container:

The improvement of stopping flow to the container by a valve means having a stopper with a specific gravity which allows it to float on the interface between first and second blood components within said chamber.

18. The improvement of claim 17 in which the chamber comprises a flexible bag.

19. The improvement of claim 17 in which the valve means is located in the chamber adjacent the outlet port.

20. The improvement of claim 17 in which the conduit between said chamber and container has an inner diameter sufficiently small to cause the second blood component to achieve a flow velocity which will cause any air bubbles in the conduit to flow to said container.

21. The improvement of claim 17 in which the first blood component is plasma and the second component is red blood cells.

22. A method comprising:

(a) rotating a volume of whole blood contained in a first container in a centrifuge at a speed sufficient to separate said whole blood into at least two components, a less dense and more dense component;

(b) forcing one of the components to flow from said bag to a second container while said volume is being rotated;

(c) preventing the flow in step (b) until substantial separation occurs in step (a) and;

(d) causing said flow to stop by control means in the centrifuge when substantially all of the component in step (b) has flowed from the bag.

23. The method of claim 22 in which the flow is stopped in step (d) by control means responsive to the density of one of said components.

24. The method of claim 23 in which the component flowing in step (b) is the less dense component.

25. The method of claim 23 in which the component flowing in step (b) is the more dense component.