Method and apparatus for separating blood components

Claim 1

A centrifuge for the separation of blood components which comprises: A. a rotor; B. a plurality of expandable blood bags disposed in said rotor for rotation therewith, said blood bags comprising: 1. a first series of blood bags, each bag of said series being adapted for holding an amount of whole blood, 2. a second series of blood bags, equal in number to the number of blood bags of said first series, each bag of said series being adapted to receive a separated blood component from one of the bags of said first series; C. a plurality of connecting tubes, equal in number to the number of bags of said first series, one of each of said tubes being connected to one bag of each said first and second series, so as to define a flow path between each bag of said first series and a corresponding bag of said second series; D. fluid pressure responsive displacement bodies, said bodies being adapted to be placed between blood bags of said first series; E. fluid pressure means for expanding said fluid pressure responsive displacement body during operation of the centrifuge, and thus simultaneously squeeze a controlled amount of liquid from the two blood bags; F. a series of partitions projecting radially from the axis of rotation of said rotor, and defining a series of expandable pie-shaped chambers; G. a support member, in the form of a modified trapezoid (34, FIG. 6), for insertion between two of said radiating partitions and in direct contact with the said fluid pressure responsive displacement body so that expansion of said displacement body applies radial pressure against said support member and against two of the blood bags of the first series disposed in adjacent pie-shaped chambers.