Liquid collecting apparatus and liquid collecting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10271782-B2
Application number	US-201214425317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2012
Priority date	Sep 3, 2012
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A suction drain device of a disclosed liquid collecting apparatus actively pushes and pulls blood. This achieves liquid collection at high speed even under decreased pressure depending on a physiological state of an animal. Moreover, the liquid collecting apparatus includes a first flow path and a second flow path having a given length. Accordingly, the flow path with a given length set in advance and thus a known volume allows collection of a given amount volume of blood without measuring a length and an amount of blood using a volume measuring device. Accordingly, no need of the measuring device allows reduction in size of the liquid collecting apparatus. Consequently, the liquid collecting apparatus can be installed adjacent to the animal to achieve reduction in dead volume. Moreover, blood is flown to a fourth flow path branched with a connecting terminal, and is also flown to the second flow path branched with a connecting terminal. The blood flown in the second flow path is collected at the highest priority. This obtains collection of fresh blood from a collecting source as a blood supply source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid collecting apparatus for collecting a target liquid to be collected as separated in a time series, the liquid collecting apparatus comprising:
a flow path including a main path including first and third path portions, the first portion connected to a collecting source;
a suction drain device connected to the third path portion and operable to selectively apply a positive or negative pressure against the target liquid to be collected;
a first connecting terminal provided on the third path portion, through which a second path portion is branched from the third path portion;
a first opening and closing device provided on the main path and between the first and third path portions, the first opening and closing device being operable to selectively open and close the main path and the second path portion;
a second connecting terminal provided on the first path portion, through which a fourth path portion is branched from the first path portion;
a second opening and closing device operable to selectively open and close the fourth path portion; and
a dropping port connected to the second path portion and configured to drop the liquid to be collected as separated,
the flow path being a tube,
the first opening and closing device being a pinch valve configured to close the main path and the second path portion in response to application of an external pressure and to open the main path and the second path portion in response to releasing of the external pressure, and
the pinch valve being configured to open one of the main path and the second path portion while closing another of the main path and the second path portion.

2. The liquid collecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the second opening and closing device is a pinch valve configured to close the fourth path portion by application of another external pressure and opens the fourth path portion by releasing the another external pressure.

3. The liquid collecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the target liquid to be collected is blood, and
the liquid collecting apparatus is an apparatus that performs collection of the blood.

4. A liquid collecting method of collecting a target liquid to be collected as separated in a time series using a liquid collecting apparatus, the liquid collecting apparatus being provided with a flow path including a main path including first and third path portions, the first portion connected to a collecting source, a suction drain device connected to the third path portion and operable to selectively apply a positive or negative pressure against the target liquid to be collected, a first connecting terminal provided on the third path portion, through which a second path portion is branched from the third path portion, a first opening and closing device provided on the main path and between the first and third path portions, the first opening and closing device being operable to selectively open and close the main path and the second path portion, a second connecting terminal provided on the first path portion, through which a fourth path portion is branched from the first path portion, a second opening and closing device operable to selectively open and close the fourth path portion, and a dropping port connected to the second path portion and configured to drop the liquid to be collected as separated, the first opening and closing device being a pinch valve configured to close the main path and the second path portion in response to application of an external pressure and to open the main path and the second path portion in response to releasing of the external pressure, and the pinch valve being configured to open one of the main path and the second path portion while closing another of the main path and the second path portion, the method comprising:
filling a part of the third path portion adjacent to the suction drain device rather than the target liquid to be collected with a fluid composed of at least either a liquid or a gas;
pushing and pulling the fluid, with which the third path portion adjacent to the suction drain device is filled, through control of the suction drain device, the first opening and closing device, and the second opening and closing device, thereby controlling movement of the target liquid to be collected; and
flowing the target liquid to be collected to the fourth path portion branched with the second connecting terminal and flowing the target liquid to be collected to the second path portion branched with the first connecting terminal, thereby collecting the liquid flowing in the second path portion branched with the first connecting terminal at the highest priority.

5. The liquid collecting method according to claim 4 , wherein the fluid, with which the part of the third path portion adjacent to the suction drain device is filled, is sucked toward the suction drain device, whereby the target liquid to be collected is sucked, and the fluid with which the part of the third path portion adjacent to the suction drain device is filled is pushed back into the collecting source, whereby the target liquid to be collected is pushed back,
the first opening and closing device is configured to open and close the first path portion that is located upstream of the first connecting terminal, and to open and close the second path portion that is located downstream of the first connecting terminal and upstream of the dropping port,
the suction drain device is configured to connect to the third path portion branched with the first connecting terminal, the third path portion being as another path portion different from the second path portion connected to the dropping port, and
the second opening and closing device is configured to open and close the fourth path portion as a path portion located upstream of the second connecting terminal branched from the first path portion with the second connecting terminal,
the liquid collecting method further comprises:
a first drain step, a first suction step, a second drain step, and a second suction and third drain step,
in the first drain step, under a condition in which the first opening and closing device opens the first path portion and closes the second path portion and the second opening and closing device opens the fourth path portion, pushing and pulling the fluid with the suction drain device until an upstream end of the fluid reaches the second connecting terminal, thereby flowing the target liquid to be collected to the fourth path portion,
in the first suction step after the first drain step, under a condition in which the first opening and closing device opens the first path portion and closes the second path portion and the second opening and closing device closes the fourth path portion, sucking the fluid with the suction drain device until a boundary between the upstream end of the fluid and the target liquid to be collected is located adjacent to the suction drain device rather than the first connecting terminal,
in the second drain step after the first suction step, under such a condition in which the first opening and closing device closes the first path portion and opens the second path portion and the second opening and closing device opens the fourth path portion, pushing the fluid with the suction drain device back together with the target liquid to be collected sucked in the first suction step, then stopping the fluid at the dropping port via the second path portion, and ejecting and collecting the target liquid to be collected from the dropping port while the liquid adjacent to the collecting source is flown to the fourth path portion, and
in the second suction and third drain step after the second drain step, under a condition in which the first opening and closing device closes the first path p

Assignees

• Hashizume Nobuya
• Kitamura Keishi
• Nishimoto Takahiro
• Kimura Yuichi
• Toyama Hiroshi
• Yamada Takashi
• Shimadzu Corp
• National Institutes For Quantum And Radiological Science And Tech
• Nat Ct Geriatrics & Gerontology

Inventors

• Hashizume Nobuya
• Kitamura Keishi
• Nishimoto Takahiro
• Kimura Yuichi
• Toyama Hiroshi
• Yamada Takashi

Classifications

• A61B5/153

  {Devices} specially adapted for taking samples of venous or arterial blood, e.g. with syringes · CPC title

• A61B2503/40

  Animals · CPC title

• A61B5/150229

  Pumps for assisting the blood sampling · CPC title

• A61B5/150244

  Rods for actuating or driving the piston, i.e. the cylindrical body that sits inside the syringe barrel, typically with an air tight seal, and slides in the barrel to create a vacuum or to expel blood · CPC title

• A61B5/155 Primary

  Devices} specially adapted for continuous or multiple sampling, e.g. at predetermined intervals {(devices loaded with multiple lancets simultaneously A61B5/15146) · CPC title