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Serum preparator
| Details |
Inventors: Wells, John R.;
Assignee:
Primary Examiner: Castel; Benoit
Assistant Examiner: Czaja; John W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lewis; Donald G.
The invention is a device and a method for preparing serum from blood. The invention is used in conjunction with the centrifugal separation of serum from blood for filtering fibrin and other particulates from the separated serum and for partitioning the serum filtrate from unfiltered blood. During the first phase of centrifugation, a detent holds the serum preparator in check within the centripedal end of a tube containing the blood while the components of blood separate by sedimentation and backflow. Once all cellular components have sedimented to the pellet, the second phase of centrifugation begins and the sedimentation of the serum preparator is initiated by a triggering centrifugal force. During sedimentation, the serum preparator forces displaced serum to pass across a filter spanning an aperture through the serum preparator. The sedimentation velocity of the device and the rate of filtration are controlled by a brake on the serum preparator. The serum preparator is a density device which is approximately isopycnic with normal whole blood. The density of the serum preparator causes it to seek an isopycnic equilibrium stop position near the interface of the separated serous and cellular components. At the isopycnic stop position, the serum preparator forms an impermeable barrier to protect the serum filtrate from contamination by the cellular component during storage and decanting. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention is a serum preparator and a method for preparing a serum sample for analysis.
The purpose of the invention is to facilitate the process of serum preparation and to enhance the quality of the serum preparation.
The serum preparator is to be used in conjunction with the centrifugal separation of a sample of blood contained within a centrifuge tube.
The serum separator is a piston device which is inserted into the tube and is restrained within the tube while the blood is centrifugally separated into its serous and cellular components.
After separation, the serum preparator is triggered to filter the separated serum by sedimenting through the serum and by forcing the serum in its path to pass through a filter.
The serum preparator proceeds to sediment to its isopycnic equilibrium position within the interface between the separated serous and cellular components.
When the serum preparator comes to rest, it forms a partition between the filtered serum and unfiltered components.
An important component of the invention is the recognition of the problem which it solves, viz.
the invention eliminates the contamination of the serum filtrate by cellular components, particularly the slowly sedimenting uncoagulated cells which comprise a minor cellular component.
The serum preparator restrains its own sedimentation during the centrifugal separation of the serous and cellular components of the blood sample.
This self restraint enables all cellular components of blood to sediment to the pellet without being overtaken by the serum preparator.
This prevents the cellular blowby, capture, and lysis which typically results from the simultaneous initiation of sedimentation of both the serum preparator and the sample components.
Cellular blowby, capture, and lysis compromise the quality and utility of the serum preparation.
The serum preparator includes a detent or a brake or both for restraining the sedimentation of the serum preparator during the separation phase.
After the separation phase, the serum preparator sediments down the centrifuge tube and filters the separated serum to remove fibrin and other particulates from the serum
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Liquid Purification 
