Blood analysis system including a plasma separator

Claim 2

A BLOOD ANALYSIS SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLASMA ANALYSIS UNIT, A PLASMA SEPARATOR, SAID PLASMA SEPARATOR COMPRISING A ROTOR MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS, SEPARATION CHAMBER STRUCTURE AND SECOND CHAMBER STRUCTURE WITHIN SAID ROTOR, SAID ROTOR HAVING A PORT THROUGH WHICH BLOOD TO BE PROCESSED MAY BE INTRODUCED, SAID SECOND CHAMBER STRUCTURE BEING ADJACENT SAID ROTOR AXIS AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PORT AND SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER STRUCTURE BEING OFFSET FROM SAID ROTOR AXIS, RESTRICTION STRUCTURE BETWEEN SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER AND SAID SECOND CHAMBER STRUCTURE FOR RETAINING A CELLULAR PORTION OF THE MATERIAL IN SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER STRUCTURE AFTER SEPARATION WHILE PERMITTING A PLASMA PORTION TO FLOW FROM SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER STRUCTURE INTO SAID SECOND CHAMBER STRUCTURE, DISCHARGE PORT STRUCTURE LOCATED ADJACENT SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER STRUCTURE ON THE SIDE THEREOF REMOTE FROM SAID ROTOR AXIS, VALVE STURCTURE FOR NORMALLY CLOSING SAID DISCHARGE PORT STRUCTURE, A FIRST CONDUIT FOR SUPPLYING WHOLE BLOOD TO SAID PLASMA SEPARATOR THROUGH SAID SECOND PORT, PROBE STRUCTURE FOR REMOVING SAID PLASMA PORTION FROM SAID SECOND CHAMBER STRUCTURE, AND A SECOND CONDUIT CONNECTED TO SAID PROBE STRUCTURE FOR TRANSFERRING PLASMA FROM SAID PLASMA SEPARATOR TO SAID ANALYSIS UNIT FOR ANALYSIS.

Claim 3

The system as claimed in claim 1 and further including a controller for operating said separator and said analysis unit concurrently for subjecting a plasma sample to analysis in said analysis unit while said separator is preparing another plasma sample for analysis in said analysis unit.

Claim 4

The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second chamber structure has a sump portion therein and said probe structure is mounted for movement into said second chamber structure for withdrawing material from said sump portion.

Claim 5

The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the walls of all of said chamber structures are of fixed configuration, thus providing a compact rotor system which may be accelerated rapidly to high rotational speeds.

Claim 6

The system as claimed in claim 1 and further including valve actuator structure mounted independently of said rotor for controlling said valve structure.

Claim 7

The system as claimed in claim 5 and further including structure associated with said valve actuator structure for allowing reset of said valve actuator structure to a position spaced from said valve structure so that said rotor may be driven in rotation independently of said actuator structure.

Claim 8

The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said separation chamber is an integral, inclined, tubular chamber that is connected to said second chamber structure, said second chamber having a recessed bottom for receiving said separated second portion.

Claim 9

The system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said tubular separation chamber extends below said second chamber such that said cellular portion packs into the separation chamber below the point of intersection with said second chamber.

Claim 10

The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sample removal probe is mounted for insertion into said rotor along said axis of rotation to a bottoming position on the lower surface of the second chamber, said probe being biased to allow bottoming without requiring precise adjustment of the allowed travel of said probe.

Claim 11

Separation apparatus comprising a rotor mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, separation chamber structure and second chamber structure within said rotor, said separation chamber structure being offset from said rotor axis, restriction structure between said separation chamber structure and said second chamber structure, said separation chamber structure being inclined to said rotor axis so that an upper portion is adjacent said restriction structure and a lower portion is spaced further from said rotor axis than said upper portion, said restriction structure being adapted to retain a first portion of the material in said separation chamber structure after separation while permitting a second portion to flow from said separation chamber structure into said second chamber structure, discharge port structure located adjacent said lower porton of said separation chamber structure on the side thereof remote from said rotor axis, valve structure for normally closing said discharge port structure, and second port structure for introducing material into and removing material from said second chamber structure.

Claim 12

Separation apparatus comprising a rotor mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, separation chamber structure and second chamber structure within said rotor, said separation chamber structure being offset from said rotor axis, restriction structure between said separation chamber structure and said second chamber structure, said separation chamber structure being inclined to said rotor axis so that an upper portion is adjacent said restriction structure and a lower portion is spaced further from said rotor axis than said upper portion, said restriction structure being adapted to retain a first portion of the material in said separation chamber structure after separation while permitting a second portion to flow from said separation chamber structure into said second chamber structure, discharge port structure located adjacent said lower porton of said separation chamber structure on the side thereof remote from said rotor axis, valve structure for normally closing said discharge port structure, and second port structure for introducing material into and removing material from said second chamber structure.

Claim 13

The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 and further including a sump portion in said second chamber structure, and probe structure mounted for movement through a port of said second port structure into said second chamber structure for withdrawing material from said sump portion.

Claim 14

The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the walls of all of said chamber structures are of fixed configuration, thus providing a compact rotor sytem which may be accelerated rapidly to high rotational speeds.

Claim 15

The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said valve structure includes a valve member movable along a path parallel to said rotor axis between a first position in which said discharge port structure is open and a second position in which said discharge port structure is closed.

Claim 16

The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 and further including valve actuator structure mounted independently of said rotor for controlling said valve structure.

Claim 17

The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 and further including structure associated with said valve actuator structure for allowing reset of said valve actuator structure to a position spaced from said valve structure so that said rotor may be driven in rotation independently of said actuator structure.

Claim 18

The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said separation chamber is an integral, inclined, tubular chamber that is connected to said second chamber structure, said second chamber having a recessed bottom for receiving a separated component.

Claim 19

The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein said tubular separation chamber extends below said second chamber such that said first portion packs into the separation chamber below the points of intersection with said second chamber.

Claim 20

The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 and further including a sample removal probe mounted for insertion through a port of said port structure into said rotor along said axis of rotation to a bottoming position on the lower surface of the second chamber, said probe being biased to allow bottoming without requiring precise adjustment of the allowed travel of said probe.

Claim 21

The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein the walls of all of said chamber structures are of fixed configuration, thus providing a compact rotor system which may be accelerated rapidly to high rotational speeds.

Claim 22

The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 and further including valve actuator structure mounted independently of said rotor for controlling said valve structure, and structure associated with said valve actuator structure for resettIng said valve actuator structure to a position spaced from said valve structure so that said rotor may be driven in rotation independently of said actuator structure.

Claim 23

The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said separation chamber structure includes a plurality of integral, tubular chambers that are uniformly spaced about the axis of said rotor and that are inclined at an angle of less than 50* to the rotor axis and that are connected by said second chamber structure, said second chamber having a recessed bottom for receiving said second separated portion, said tubular separation chambers extending below said second chamber such that said first separated portion packs into the separation chambers below the points of intersection with said second chamber.

Claim 24

The apparatus as claimed in claim 21 and further including valve actuator structure mounted independently of said rotor for controlling said valve structure, and structure associated with said valve actuator structure for resetting said valve actuator structure to a position spaced from said valve structure so that said rotor may be driven in rotation independently of said actuator structure.

Claim 25

The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein said restriction structure is a raised lip at the edge of said second chamber structure.

Claim 26

A process for sequentially subjecting samples of precious fluids such as blood to centrifugal separation operations comprising the steps of placing a fluid sample in separation apparatus which is then operated to separate the sample into at least two constituents, removing at least a portion of one of the separated constituents from said separation apparatus along a first path and another constituent from the separation apparatus along a separate second path, and then flowing a rinse solution along said first path, countercurrent to the removal direction, into and through said separation apparatus and out through said second path to clean said apparatus in preparation for the next sample processing cycle.

Claim 27

A process for sequentially subjecting samples of precious fluids such as blood to centrifugal separation operations comprising the steps of placing a fluid sample in separation apparatus which is then operated to separate the sample into at least two constituents, removing at least a portion of one of the separated constituents from said separation apparatus along a first path and another constituent from the separation apparatus along a separate second path, and then flowing a rinse solution along said first path, countercurrent to the removal direction, into and through said separation apparatus and out through said second path to clean said apparatus in preparation for the next sample processing cycle.

Claim 28

The process as claimed in claim 24 wherein said separation apparatus includes a centrifuge rotor that includes common chamber structure disposed on the axis of rotation of said rotor and separation chamber structure offset from said rotation axis, first port structure on said rotation axis in communication with the common chamber structure, and second port structure disposed at the end of said separation chamber structure remote from said rotation axis, and said processing sequence includes the steps of introducing a first fluid sample into the rotor chamber structure through said first port structure, spinning said rotor to distribute the fluid sample to said separation chamber structure and to separate the fluid sample into distinct components in said separation chamber structure, slowing said rotor to allow a portion of the material in said separation chamber structure to flow into said common chamber structure, removing material from said common chamber structure through said first port structure, opening said second port structure to remove another portion of the sample from said rotor chamber structure through said second port structure, and flowing rinse solution through said first port structure into and through said rotor chamber structure and out said second port structure to clean said rotor chamber structure in preparation for the next sample processing cycle.

Claim 29

The process as claimed in claim 24 wherein one of said constituents is transferred to an analysis unit, and concurrently subjecting said transferred constituent to analysis in said analysis unit while operating said separation apparatus to separate a constituent of another sample for subsequent analysis in said analysis unit.