Apparatus and method for making a plurality of reagent mixtures and analyzing particle distributions of the reagent mixtures

• US 6,812,032 B1
• Filed: 03/16/1998
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Drew Scientific Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CDC Technologies, Inc. (Escalon Medical Corporation)
• Inventors: Carver, Edward Lawrence Jr., DeCava, David Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Soderquist, Arlen
• Application Number:
  US09/039,789
• Time in Patent Office: 2,423 Days
• Field of Search: 436/8, 436/17-18, 436/52, 436/63, 436/66, 436/174-175, 417/568, 422/67, 422/73, 422/81, 422/100
• US Class Current: 436/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1409 Handling samples, e.g. injecting samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1095 for supplying the samples to flow-through analysers for a specific analyser see relevant groups, e.g. under G01N15/00, G01N21/00, G01N27/00, G01N30/00, H01J49/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/10 Composition for standardization, calibration, simulation, stabilization, preparation or preservation; processes of use in preparation for chemical testing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/107497 Preparation composition [e.g., lysing or precipitation, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/108331 Preservative, buffer, anticoagulant or diluent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/117497 with a continuously flowing sample or carrier stream
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25125 Digestion or removing interfering materials

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for hematology testing, which has a sensing unit defining a counting orifice for the flow of a blood sample through the counting orifice to analyze the blood sample, and a pump unit having three syringes. A first syringe is coupled in fluid communication with the sensing unit on the inlet side of the counting orifice for injecting a stream of blood sample through the counting orifice. A second syringe is coupled in fluid communication with the sensing chamber on the inlet side of the counting orifice for simultaneously injecting a sheath of fluid surrounding the sample stream on the inlet side of the counting orifice. And a third syringe is coupled to the sensing chamber on the outlet side of the counting orifice for aspirating a sheath of fluid from the sensing chamber surrounding the sample stream on the outlet side of the counting orifice. A control unit is connected to the pump unit for adjusting the reagent mixture to correspond to each of a plurality of different operator inputs, wherein each operator input may correspond to a respective animal species, to automatically create and analyze the reagent mixture for each animal species.

Claims

1. A method for making a plurality of different reagent mixtures comprising blood and analyzing particle distributions of the reagent mixtures, wherein each reagent mixture corresponds to a respective operator input indicative of a respective species of blood, and the method is performed with an apparatus having at least one pump, at least one reagent chamber containing at least one lysing agent, a sensing unit defining a counting orifice for receiving a reagent mixture and analyzing a particle distribution of the reagent mixture, and a control unit responsive to each operator input to control the at least one pump to make a respective reagent mixture having a volumetric ratio of the at least one lysing agent to blood corresponding to the respective operator input and species of blood, and to further control the sensing unit to analyze a particle distribution of the reagent mixture, the method comprising the following steps:

adjusting the volumetric ratio of the at least one lysing agent to blood, in response to an operator input indicative of a respective species of blood, to correspond to the respective operator input, and thereby form a predetermined reagent mixture corresponding to the respective operator input and species of blood, said adjusting including;

selecting at least one lysing agent corresponding to the respective operator input;

pumping with the at least one pump a predetermined volume of the at least one lysing agent corresponding to the respective operator input;

pumping with the at least one pump a predetermined volume of blood corresponding to the respective operator input;

intermixing the predetermined volumes of the at least one lysing agent and blood, and in turn creating the predetermined reagent mixture corresponding to the respective operator input; and

introducing the predetermined reagent mixture through the counting orifice of the sensing unit and sensing a particle distribution of said reagent mixture.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

in response to each of a plurality of different operator inputs, selecting the ratio of blood to the at least one lysing agent in the corresponding reagent mixture;

pumping with the at least one pump a predetermined volume of the at least one selected lysing agent corresponding to the respective blood/lysing agent ratio;

pumping with the at least one pump a predetermined volume of blood corresponding to the respective blood/lysing agent ratio; and

intermixing the predetermined volumes of blood and the least one lysing agent, and in turn creating a reagent mixture corresponding to the respective operator input.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

in response to each of a plurality of operator inputs, selecting the ratio of blood to at least one first lysing agent and at least one second lysing agent in the respective reagent mixture;

pumping with the at least one pump a predetermined volume of the at least one first lysing agent corresponding to the respective blood/lysing agent ratio;

pumping with the at least one pump a predetermined volume of the at least one second lysing agent corresponding to the respective blood/lysing agent ratio;

pumping with the at least one pump a predetermined volume of blood corresponding to the respective blood/lysing agent ratio; and

intermixing the predetermined volumes of blood and the first and second lysing agents, and in turn creating a reagent mixture corresponding to the respective operator input.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising-the steps of:

providing a database comprising data indicative of (i) a plurality of animal species, and (ii) a plurality of different reagent mixtures and the predetermined volumes of the reagent mixture components of each reagent mixture, wherein each reagent mixture corresponds to one or more of the plurality of animal species;

in response to each operator input corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of animal species, selecting one of the plurality of reagent mixtures corresponding to the respective animal species; and

pumping with the at least one pump the predetermined volumes of the reagent-mixture components, and in turn creating the reagent mixture corresponding to the respective animal species.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the reagent-mixture components include (i) a predetermined volume of blood, and (ii) a predetermined volume of diluent.

6. An apparatus for making a plurality of reagent mixtures comprising blood and analyzing particle distributions of the reagent mixtures, comprising:

at least one pump;

at least one reagent chamber coupled in fluid communication with the at least one pump and containing at least one lysing agent;

a sensing unit defining a counting orifice for receiving a reagent mixture and analyzing a particle distribution of the reagent mixture; and

means for adjusting the volumetric ratio of blood to the at least one lysing agent for creating a plurality of different reagent mixtures, each corresponding to a respective operator input indicative of at least one respective species of blood, and for controlling the at least one pump in response to each operator input to pump predetermined volumes of blood and the at least one lysing agent in accordance with the blood/lysing agent ratio corresponding to the respective operator input and species of blood, said means further controlling the at least one pump to

(i) intermix the predetermined volumes of blood and the at least one lysing agent and thereby create the reagent mixture corresponding to the respective operator input, and

(ii) introduce the reagent mixture through the counting orifice of the sensing unit for sensing a particle distribution of the reagent mixture.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the means for adjusting the volumetric ratio is defined by a control unit.

8. An apparatus for making a plurality of reagent mixtures for multi-species hematology testing, and for sensing particle distributions of the mixtures for multi-species hematology analysis, comprising:

at least one reagent chamber for containing at least one lysing agent;

at least one pump coupled in fluid communication with the at least one reagent chamber;

a mixing chamber coupled in fluid communication with the at least one pump for receiving the at least one lysing agent and a predetermined volume of a blood specimen corresponding to any one of a plurality of different species;

a control unit electrically coupled to the at least one pump for adjusting the volumetric ratio of the blood specimen to the at least one lysing agent in correspondence with an operator input corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of species and, in turn, creating a reagent mixture therefrom having a blood to lysing agent volumetric ratio corresponding to the operator input and respective species; and

a sensing unit coupled in fluid communication with the at least one pump and defining at least one counting orifice for receiving a reagent mixture and analyzing a particle distribution of the reagent mixture.

9. An apparatus for making a plurality of reagent mixtures for multi-species hematology testing, and for sensing particle distributions of the mixtures for multi-species hematology analysis, comprising:

first means for containing at least one lysing agent;

second means coupled in fluid communication with the first means for pumping the at least one lysing agent;

third means coupled in fluid communication with the second means for receiving the at least one lysing agent and a predetermined volume of a blood specimen corresponding to any one of a plurality of different species;

fourth means electrically coupled to the second means for adjusting the volumetric ratio of the blood specimen to the at least one lysing agent in correspondence with an operator input corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of species and, in turn, creating a reagent mixture therefrom having a blood to lysing agent volumetric ratio corresponding to the operator input and respective species; and

fifth means coupled in fluid communication with the second means for receiving a reagent mixture and analyzing a particle distribution of the reagent mixture.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the first means is defined by at least one reagent chamber for containing the at least one lysing agent.

11. An apparatus as defined in claims 9, wherein the second means is defined by at least one pump coupled in fluid communication with the first means for pumping the at least one lysing agent.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the third means is defined by a mixing chamber coupled in fluid communication with the second means.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the fourth means is defined by a control unit.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the fit means is defined by a sensing unit defining a counting orifice for receiving a reagent mixture and analyzing a particle distribution of the reagent mixture.