Blood centrifuge having integral heating to control cellular component temperature

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the separation of components suspended or dissolved in a fluid medium by centrifugation.
More specifically, one object of this invention is to provide a method for the separation and isolation of one or more whole blood components, such as platelet rich plasma, white blood cells and platelet poor plasma, from anticoagulated whole blood by centrifugation, wherein the components are isolated while the centrifuge is rotating.
Another object of this invention is to utilize the isolated cell components in a therapeutic regimen.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for the separation of whole blood components, wherein the apparatus contains a centrifuge bag that provides for simultaneous addition of whole blood from a source container and the withdrawal of a specific blood component during centrifugation.
Another object of this invention is to provide disposable, single-use centrifuge bags for holding whole blood during the separation of components of the whole blood by centrifugation, wherein the bag is adapted for use in a portable, point-of-use centrifuge.
Another object of this invention is to provide a portable centrifuge containing a disposable centrifuge bag that maximizes the amount of a predetermined blood fraction that can be harvested from an aliquot of blood that is of greater volume than the capacity of the disposable centrifuge bag.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described therein, one embodiment of this invention comprises a flexible, disposable centrifuge bag adapted to be rotated about an axis, comprising: a) one or more tubes, and b) upper and lower flexible sheets, each sheet having a doughnut shaped configuration, an inner perimeter defining a central core and an outer perimeter, wherein the upper and lower sheets are superimposed and completely sealed together at their outer perimeters, and wherein the tubes are sandwiched between the upper and lower sheets and extend from the central core toward the outer perimeter, such that when the upper and lower sheets are sealed at the inner perimeter the tubes are sealed between the upper and lower sheets at the inner perimeter and are in fluid communication with the environment inside and outside the centrifuge bag