Centrifugal displacer pump

• US 4,405,079 A
• Filed: 11/10/1980
• Issued: 09/20/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Haemonetics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Haemonetics Corporation
• Inventors: Schoendorfer, Donald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US06/205,144
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 233/23 A, 233/26, 233/23 R, 233/27, 233/1 A, 233/1 C, 233/1 R, 233/14 A, 233/14 R, 233/16, 233/19 R, 233/19 A, 233/20 R, 233/24, 233/16, 366/187, 137/56, 137/53, 251/7, 251/4, 128/272, 128/214 R, 222/47, 222/48, 222/41
• US Class Current: 494/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3693 using separation based on different densities of components, e.g. centrifuging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3698 Expressing processed fluid out from the turning rotor using another fluid compressing the treatment chamber; Variable volume rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 5/0428 with flexible receptacles

Abstract

Apparatus is disclosed for centrifugally separating blood into one or more components, such as a plasma-rich component, and a plasma-poor component. This apparatus employs a centrifuge intended to be used immediately adjacent to a blood donor. A flexible displacement container having a displacer fluid operated diaphragm is positioned within a blood processing chamber of the centrifuge rotor. The blood processing chamber comprises a pair of contoured support shoes which structurally supports the displacement container and a flexible blood processing container. Separated first blood component is expressed from the flexible processing blood container by movement of the diaphragm and is collected in a receiver container as the centrifuge rotor spins.

A reservoir for displacer fluid is mounted closer to the axis of rotation of the centrifuge than the flexible displacement container and in fluid communication therewith. The centrifugal force created by the spinning rotor creates a pressure differential between the reservoir and displacement container sufficient to pump the displacer fluid into said pouch, thus moving the diaphragm and expressing blood components from the blood processing bag.

Claims

1. Apparatus for processing fluids, comprising, in combination:

a. a centrifuge having a rotor capable of rotating about an axis of rotation at speeds sufficient to produce a desired separation;

b. a processing chamber mounted on said rotor and supporting a flexible processing container and a flexible displacer fluid container;

c. a reservoir of displacer fluid mounted on said rotor nearer the axis of rotation of the rotor than said processing chamber and in fluid communication with said displacer fluid container;

whereby, when said rotor is rotated at a speed sufficiently long to produce the desired separation, displacer fluid flows due to centrifugal force from said reservoir to said displacer container thereby expanding said displacer container to expel a separate fluid component from said processing chamber; and

d. a rotatable member provided to control the amount of displacer fluid communicated from said reservoir to said displacer fluid container thereby controlling the amount of fluid component expressed from said processing chamber.

2. A displacer fluid reservoir for supplying displacer fluid to a flexible displacer fluid container comprising:

a hollow body for containing a reservoir of displacer fluid;

an opening at one end of said hollow body adapted to be connected to a fluid communicating means;

dial means rotatably mounted on said hollow body; and

control means coupled to said dial for moving said fluid communicating means with respect to said displacer fluid in accordance with the position of the dial thereby to control the amount of displacer fluid removed from said reservoir when the reservoir is rotated.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the control means comprises an arcuate disk having a spiral groove through which the fluid communicating means is passed and a guide member disposed adjacent said disk and having a longitudinal slot therein through which said fluid communicating means is also passed.