Systems and methods for processing biological fluids are disclosed. The systems and methods use a reusable hardware unit and a disposable fluid processing circuit that mounts onto the reusable hardware unit. The system and method, under the direction of a pre-programmed controller allow for automatically, opening one or more flow paths to effect addition of one or both parts of an additive solution to a biological fluid component.

A hysteroscopic fluid management system includes a saline source with an electrolyte concentration, at least one pressure mechanism for circulating saline to and from a targeted site and through a filter having filter characteristics back to the source, and a controller. The controller provides a saline inflow in a first flow path to the site and a saline outflow in a second flow path from the site through the filter and back to the source at a controlled flow rate. A diagnostic or therapeutic procedure is performed at the site in the presence of the saline. The filter characteristics and the controlled flow rate are selected to (1) cause substantially no change in the electrolyte concentration in the saline, (2) to prevent hemolysis of greater than 5% of filtered red blood cells exposed to the saline, and/or (3) to minimize effect on prothrombin time of plasma exposed to the filter.

An optical sensor device configured for use in combination with a fluid flowing through a tubing, the optical sensor device includes a light source configured to emit a light, with at least a portion of the light being exposed to a fluid in the tubing and reflected, an optical sensor configured to receive at least a portion of the reflected light and analyze at least a portion of the received reflected light to determine a reflectance measurement, and a controller configured to correlate the reflectance measurement to an input particulate level and generate an output indicative of the fluid flow rate corresponding to the reflectance measurement. Also disclosed is a method of optically measuring fluid flow rate in a fluid processing system including optically monitoring fluid flow through a transparent portion of a tubing by measuring light reflectance of particles in the fluid.

A method for continuously washing packed red blood cells includes (1) transferring, at a first flow rate, packed red blood cells from a container to a separation device and (2) transferring, at the same time as the packed red blood cells, wash solution from a container to the separation device. The wash solution may be transferred at a second flow rate that is greater than the first flow rate. The wash solution mixes with the packed red blood cells within the inlet line of the separation device and dilutes/washes the packed red blood cells. The separation device separates the red blood cells from the wash solution and a supernatant. The method may then monitor the volume of washed red blood cells within the separation device and begin to extract the washed red blood cells into a red blood cell product container when a target volume is collected within the separation device.

A process for preparing blood components from blood, by means of a biomedical device (16), comprising the steps of: subjecting an isolated blood sample (1) to a first centrifugation at a speed of 250 rpm for a time of 10 minutes, and to a second centrifugation at a speed of 2000 rpm for a time of 15 minutes.

A processing device includes a pump system, a valve system, a centrifuge, and a controller. A fluid flow circuit is mounted to the device to execute a procedure in which whole blood is processed into a red blood cell product, a plasma product, and a platelet concentrate product. The blood is first separated into red blood cells, buffy coat, and plasma using the centrifuge, with the red blood cells and plasma being removed from the centrifuge, while the buffy coat remains in the centrifuge. The fluid remaining in the centrifuge is circulated through the centrifuge to form a homogenous mixture. Once the mixture is formed, it is separated in the centrifuge into platelet concentrate and red blood cells. A platelet product is then collected by using whole blood or previously collected red blood cells to push the platelet concentrate from the centrifuge to a collection container.

The present invention discloses a microstructured discrimination device for separating hydrophobic-hydrophilic fluidic composites comprising particulate and/or fluids in a fluid flow. The discrimination is the result of surface energy gradients obtained by physically varying a textured surface and/or by varying surface chemical properties, both of which are spatially graded. Such surfaces discriminate and spatially separate particulate and/or fluids without external energy input. The device of the present invention comprises a platform having bifurcating microchannels arranged radially. The lumenal surfaces of the microchannels may have a surface energy gradient created by varying the periodicity of hierarchically arranged microstructures along a dimension. The surface energy gradient is varied in two regions. In one pre-bifurcation region the surface energy gradient generates a fluid flow. In the other post-bifurcation region, there is a difference in surface energy proximal to the bifurcation such that different flow fractions are divided into separate channels in response to different surface energy gradients in each of the post-bifurcation channels. Accordingly, fluids of different hydrophobicity and/or particulate of different hydrophobicity are driven into separate channels by a global minimization of the fluid system energy.

An extracorporeal photopheresis system includes a separator with a disposable fluid circuit including a treatment container, an irradiation device configured to treat the contents of the treatment container, and a controller configured to control the system to perform a procedure including drawing anticoagulated whole blood into the fluid circuit from a blood source and returning to the blood source a treated target cell component, a portion of a red blood cell component remaining in the fluid circuit, and/or a portion of a plasma component remaining in the fluid circuit. The controller is further configured to estimate an end-of-procedure fluid balance estimated based on manual or automatic inputs including a patient body weight associated with the blood source and a total blood volume of the blood source, indicate the fluid balance to an operator, and receive one or more changes that affect the fluid balance after indicating the fluid balance.

Methods for making hemoglobin based blood substitute preparations and hemoglobin based blood substitute preparations. The methods involve preparing a low purity erythrocyte protein fraction comprising hemoglobin protein and endogenous non-hemoglobin protein complement, and chemically modifying the proteins in the protein fraction to form a cross-linked hemoglobin containing blood substitute preparation. The low purity erythrocyte protein preparation can contain from at least about 0.2% (mole/mole) up to about 20% (mole/mole) endogenous non-hemoglobin protein complement. At least about 90% (mole/mole) of the hemoglobin proteins can be cross-linked, so that the average molecular mass of cross-linked proteins comprising hemoglobin protein molecules in the preparation is at least about 300 kDa. The preparations can be used to prepare finished blood substitute formulations for in-vivo and ex-vivo use.

Disclosed are methods, materials and devices for approximation of blood volume in a fluid, such as in a biological fluid collected during a surgical procedure. The method and devices may include the use of an RBC flocculant, for example polyDADMAC, and an approximate blood hematocrit from the type of animal blood being evaluated, as well as a calculated RBC packing ratio corresponding to the collection device being used. Also provided is a Blood Indicator Panel (BIP), comprising a series of markings calculated from an observed red blood settlement volume, the average animal blood hematocrit, and a calculated RBC packing ratio “n” value for the collection device. A collection device with a BIP is disclosed. Pediatric (about 200 ml or 250 ml size container), adult human (about 1,000 ml -1,500 ml) and veterinary (about 500 ml - 2,500 ml) collection containers are also disclosed, that include a RBC flocculant, for use in approximating blood volume in a fluid.