Blood collection system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a blood collection system capable of rapidly removing white blood cells from blood so that the blood is in an administrable state. [Solution] A blood collection system 1 is for collecting and storing blood from a blood donor. The blood collection system includes: a blood collection needle 11 through which the blood can be collected; a first blood bag 30 which is capable of storing the blood from the blood collection needle 11; at least one second blood bag 31 which is capable of storing the blood from the blood collection needle 11 and has a volume larger than that of the first blood bag 30; a white blood cell removal filter 50 which removes white blood cells from the blood flowing out from the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31; and a storage bag 70 which is capable of storing the blood flowing out from the white blood cell removal filter 50.

Description

Blood collection system

[0001] The present invention relates to a blood collection system.

[0002] The importance of responding to blood transfusion in emergency situations outside medical institutions is increasing. When massive bleeding occurs, blood transfusion is necessary, but it is difficult to bring a large amount of blood products to the site outside a medical institution. For this reason, there is a demand for being able to easily carry out the process from blood collection to blood transfusion. Furthermore, in cases of massive hemorrhage, the time taken until blood transfusion is directly linked to survival, so it is necessary to perform blood transfusion as soon as possible. For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a blood transfusion system that enables transfusion after removing leukocytes, and in an emergency, switches the flow path to enable transfusion of whole blood from which leukocytes have not been removed.

[0003] International Publication No. 2019 / 065823 Specification

[0004] However, the blood transfusion system described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above transfuses whole blood without removing leukocytes in an emergency, which may cause transfusion side effects such as viral infection and fever. When leukocytes are removed before transfusion to ensure safety, the collected blood is temporarily stored in a blood bag, and leukocyte removal is performed after blood collection is completed, which means that it takes time from blood collection to transfusion.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a blood collection system capable of rapidly removing leukocytes from blood to put it in an administrable state.

[0006] The above object is achieved by the invention described in (1) below. (1) A blood collection system according to the present invention, which collects and stores blood from a donor, comprising: a blood collection unit capable of collecting blood; a first blood bag capable of storing blood from the blood collection unit; at least one second blood bag capable of storing blood from the blood collection unit and having a larger volume than the first blood bag; a leukocyte removal filter that removes leukocytes from blood flowing out of the first blood bag and the second blood bag; and a storage bag capable of storing blood flowing out of the leukocyte removal filter.

[0007] The blood collection system described in (1) above can quickly complete the collection of blood into the first blood bag, which has a smaller volume than the second blood bag, and can quickly begin the removal of leukocytes from the blood. Therefore, the blood collection system can quickly remove leukocytes from the blood and make it ready for administration.

[0008] (2) In the blood collection system described in (1) above, the first blood bag and the second blood bag may contain an anticoagulant in proportion to their volume. This allows the blood collection system to mix an appropriate amount of anticoagulant with the blood in proportion to the volume of the first blood bag and the second blood bag, thereby effectively suppressing blood coagulation.

[0009] (3) The blood collection system described in (1) or (2) above may include a plurality of branching tubes that branch off the flow path from the blood collection unit and connect to the first blood bag and the second blood bag, respectively, and an opening / closing member that can open and close each of the flow paths of the branching tubes. This allows the blood collection system to select the blood bag into which the collected blood will flow using the opening / closing member.

[0010] (4) The blood collection system described in any one of (1) to (3) above may have a junction that combines the flow paths from the first blood bag and the second blood bag into one and connects to the leukocyte removal filter. This allows the blood collection system to filter the blood flowing out of the first blood bag and the second blood bag with a single leukocyte removal filter and collect it in a common storage bag. Therefore, even though multiple blood bags are used for blood collection, the blood can be administered to the patient continuously for a long period of time from a common storage bag.

[0011] (5) The blood collection system described in any one of (1) to (4) above may have an administration section capable of administering the liquid flowing out of the containment bag. This allows the blood collection system to administer the liquid contained in the containment bag into the patient's blood vessels.

[0012] (6) The blood collection system described in (5) above may have a backflow control unit between the containment bag and the administration unit that suppresses backflow of liquid from the administration unit to the containment bag. This allows the blood collection system to suppress backflow of blood from the patient's blood vessels and reduce the burden on the patient.

[0013] This is a plan view showing a blood collection system according to an embodiment. This is a plan view showing a modified example of the blood collection system according to an embodiment.

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings may be exaggerated for illustrative purposes and differ from actual ratios. Furthermore, in this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanations.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the blood collection system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured as a medical system capable of emergency blood collection and transfusion in emergency medical situations such as battlefields and disaster areas.

[0016] The blood collection system 1 includes a blood collection device 10 used for collecting blood from a blood donor, a branching section 20 that branches off a flow path from the blood collection device 10, one first blood bag 30 capable of containing blood from the branching section 20, at least one second blood bag 31 capable of containing blood from the branching section 20, and a merging section 40 that merges the flow paths from the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31. The blood collection system 1 further includes a leukocyte removal filter 50 that removes leukocytes from the blood from the merging section 40, a filter downstream tube 60 that sends the liquid (blood product that has been treated) from which leukocytes have been removed from the leukocyte removal filter 50, a storage bag 70 that contains the liquid from which leukocytes have been removed, an upstream administration tube 80 that sends the liquid from the storage bag 70 to an administration device 90, and an administration device 90 used for administering the liquid to a patient.

[0017] The blood collection device 10 includes a blood collection needle 11 (blood collection section) that can be used to collect blood by puncturing a blood donor, a blood collection connector 13 that can be connected to a branching section 20, and a blood collection tube 12 that extends from the blood collection needle 11 to the blood collection connector 13.

[0018] The branching section 20 includes a branching source tube 21 connected to the blood collection tube 12, and a first branching tube 23 (branching tube) and a second branching tube 24 (branching tube) branching from the branching source tube 21 via a branching connector 22. The branching connector 22 is a connector that branches the tubes. The first branching tube 23 is provided with a first opening / closing member 25 that can open and close the flow path, and the second branching tube 24 is provided with a second opening / closing member 26 that can open and close the flow path. The first opening / closing member 25 and the second opening / closing member 26 are not particularly limited as long as they can open and close the flow path, but for example, they are known clamps (roller clamp, slide clamp, one-touch clamp, etc.).

[0019] The first blood bag 30 is capable of containing blood from the blood collection device 10 and contains an anticoagulant 33 that inhibits blood coagulation. The first blood bag 30 can contain blood from the blood collection device 10 and mix the anticoagulant 33 with the blood inside. The anticoagulant 33 is, for example, ACD (acid-citrate-dextrose) or CPD (citrate-phosphorate-dextrose).

[0020] The second blood bag 31 is capable of containing blood from the blood collection device 10 and contains an anticoagulant 33 to inhibit blood coagulation. The second blood bag 31 has a larger volume than the first blood bag 30. The second blood bag 31 can contain blood from the blood collection device 10 and mix the anticoagulant 33 with the blood inside. Preferably, the amount of anticoagulant 33 contained in each of the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 is proportional to the volume of the blood bag. Therefore, the amount of anticoagulant 33 contained in the second blood bag 31 is greater than the amount of anticoagulant 33 contained in the first blood bag 30. More preferably, the ratio of the amount of anticoagulant 33 to the volume of each blood bag is constant. There may be two or more second blood bags 31. The volumes of each of the multiple second blood bags 31 may be the same or different. Preferably, the volume of at least one of the multiple second blood bags 31 is larger than the volume of the first bag, and more preferably, the volume of all the second blood bags 31 is larger than the volume of the first bag.

[0021] The first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 preferably have markings (scales) that allow for the measurement of the amount of blood contained. Alternatively, the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 may have a constriction (reduction in the width of the bag) that allows for the measurement of the amount of blood contained. The volume ratio of the first blood bag 30 to the second blood bag 31 is not particularly limited, but it is preferably a volume ratio such that the time required for filtration of the first blood bag 30 and the time required for blood collection of the second blood bag 31 are approximately the same, for example, 1:2 to 1:5, and preferably 1:3.

[0022] The junction 40 includes a first junction tube 41 connected to a first blood bag 30, a second junction tube 42 connected to a second blood bag 31, and a junction tube 44 through which the first junction tube 41 and the second junction tube 42 merge via a junction connector 43 and are connected to a leukocyte removal filter 50. The first junction tube 41 is provided with a first opening member 45 that can open the flow path, and the second junction tube 42 is provided with a second opening member 46 that can open the flow path. The first opening member 45 and the second opening member 46 are not particularly limited as long as they can open the flow path when it is closed, but for example they are known click chips (registered trademark). A click chip is a known component that can open a flow path by breaking a member blocking the flow path when force is applied from the outside. The first opening member 45 and the second opening member 46 may be clamps or the like that can open and close the flow path.

[0023] The first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 are connected to the branching section 20 and the merging section 40, allowing them to be arranged in parallel and receive blood from a common blood collection device 10, and to send the blood to a common leukocyte removal filter 50. In other words, in the blood collection system 1, one leukocyte removal filter 50 is provided for multiple blood bags 30 and 31.

[0024] The leukocyte removal filter 50 is a filter that removes leukocytes from the blood flowing in from the junction tube 44. The leukocyte removal filter 50 has a mesh-like filter material inside with multiple pores smaller than leukocytes. Multiple layers of filter material may be stacked. The leukocyte removal filter 50 may also have the function of removing other minute substances contained in the blood.

[0025] The filter downstream tube 60 is connected to the leukocyte removal filter 50 and the containment bag 70, and is a tube that sends the liquid from which leukocytes have been removed by the leukocyte removal filter 50 from the leukocyte removal filter 50 to the containment bag 70.

[0026] The storage bag 70 is a bag that temporarily stores the liquid (blood product) that has been made available for administration to the patient after white blood cells have been removed by the white blood cell removal filter 50, and which flows in through the downstream tube 60 of the filter.

[0027] The upstream administration tube 80 is connected to the containment bag 70 and the administration device 90, and is a tube that delivers liquid from the containment bag 70 to the administration device 90. The upstream administration tube 80 preferably has a backflow control unit 81. The backflow control unit 81 is, for example, a duckbill valve, a ball-type check valve, or other check valve.

[0028] The administration device 90 includes an administration connector 91 that can be connected to an upstream administration tube 80, an administration needle 92 (administration part) that can be inserted into a patient to administer liquid, and an administration tube 93 that extends from the administration connector 91 to the administration needle 92.

[0029] The material constituting each tube is preferably a soft resin material, and examples include fluororesins such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), and perfluoroalkoxy fluororesin (PFA), olefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene or mixtures thereof, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polyether nylon resin, and mixtures of olefin resins and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

[0030] The materials constituting each bag are preferably flexible, soft resin materials, such as polyvinyl chloride, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyethylene, polyolefins such as polypropylene, etc.

[0031] Next, a method for using the blood collection system 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0032] The blood collection system 1 is used in emergency medical settings such as battlefields and disaster areas. With the first opening / closing member 25 and the second opening / closing member 26 closed, the medical personnel insert and leave the blood collection needle 11 of the blood collection device 10 into the donor's blood vessel. Furthermore, the medical personnel insert and leave the administration needle 92 of the administration device 90 into the patient's blood vessel. The administration needle 92 may be placed at any time before the administration of blood products into the patient's blood vessel begins.

[0033] Next, the medical professional opens the first opening / closing member 25 to open the first branching tube 23, and keeps the second opening / closing member 26 closed to close the second branching tube 24. As a result, the blood collected by the blood collection needle 11 is collected in the first blood bag 30 through the branching connector 22 and the first branching tube 23. The blood collected in the first blood bag 30 mixes with the anticoagulant 33 inside the first blood bag 30, and coagulation is suppressed.

[0034] When a medical professional confirms that the blood in the first blood bag 30 has reached a predetermined amount using the mark, they close the first opening / closing member 25 to close the first branching tube 23, and open the second opening / closing member 26 to open the second branching tube 24. This stops the flow of blood collected by the blood collection needle 11 into the first blood bag 30 and starts the flow into the second blood bag 31. The blood in the second blood bag 31 mixes with the anticoagulant 33 inside the second blood bag 31, inhibiting coagulation.

[0035] Next, while continuing to collect blood into the second blood bag 31, the medical professional operates the first opening member 45 to open the first merging tube 41. As a result, the blood contained in the first blood bag 30 flows through the first merging tube 41 and the merging connector 43 to the merging tube 44 and into the leukocyte removal filter 50. The blood that flows into the leukocyte removal filter 50 passes through the filter media and is released into the filter downstream tube 60. At this time, leukocytes cannot pass through the filter media, and the liquid containing other blood components (red blood cells, platelets, plasma) from which leukocytes have been removed is released into the filter downstream tube 60. The liquid released into the filter downstream tube 60 is collected in the storage bag 70.

[0036] The volume of the first blood bag 30 is smaller than the volume of the second blood bag 31. Therefore, the filling of blood into the first blood bag 30 can be completed quickly, allowing for the rapid initiation of leukocyte removal and thus the rapid initiation of blood product administration to the patient. Furthermore, because the volume of the first blood bag 30 is small, the amount of blood product that can be prepared using the first blood bag 30 is limited. However, the filling of blood into the second blood bag 31 and the removal of leukocytes proceed in parallel with the administration of the blood product obtained by removing leukocytes from the blood contained in the first blood bag 30 to the patient. Therefore, the total amount of blood product produced using the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 is sufficiently secured.

[0037] When a medical professional confirms that the blood in the second blood bag 31 has reached a predetermined amount using the mark, they close the second opening / closing member 26 to close the second branching tube 24. If there are multiple second blood bags 31, they open the second opening / closing member 26 of the tube extending from the branching connector 22 to the next second blood bag 31, and fill the next second blood bag 31 with blood. Medical professionals can sequentially fill multiple second blood bags 31 with blood using the same procedure. The medical professional then opens the second merging tube 44, which extends from the second blood bag 31 whose blood flow has been stopped by closing the second opening / closing member 26, by operating the second opening member 46. As a result, the blood contained in the second blood bag 31 flows through the second merging tube 44 and the merging connector 43 to the merging tube 44 and into the leukocyte removal filter 50. If there are multiple second blood bags 31, a medical professional can sequentially open the second merging tubes 44 extending from each second blood bag 31 by operating the second opening member 46 located on the second merging tube 44, which has its second opening / closing member 26 closed to stop the inflow of blood, and send the blood to the common leukocyte removal filter 50.

[0038] If the blood inflow from the first blood bag 30 to the leukocyte removal filter 50 is completed before the blood inflow into the next blood bag 31 is completed, the blood flow from the second blood bag 31 through the second merging tube 42 can be merged with the blood flow from the first blood bag 30 through the first merging tube 41 at the merging connector 43, and the blood can be sent to the leukocyte removal filter 50.

[0039] If the blood inflow from the first blood bag 30 to the leukocyte removal filter 50 is completed, and then the blood is filled into the next blood bag 31, there is a possibility that air may enter between the first blood bag 30 and the leukocyte removal filter 50. If air enters the leukocyte removal filter 50, an air block may occur, potentially reducing its filtration function. Therefore, before opening the second opening member 46, the medical professional presses the containment bag 70 to push the air between the first blood bag 30 and the leukocyte removal filter 50 up to the first blood bag 30 side beyond the merging connector 43. Next, the medical professional operates the second opening member 46 located in the second merging tube 44 extending from the second blood bag 31 to open the second merging tube 44. As a result, the blood contained in the second blood bag 31 flows through the second merging tube 44 and the merging connector 43 to the merging tube 44, and can flow into the leukocyte removal filter 50 without being obstructed by the air block. A medical professional may press the containment bag 70 to push the air between the first blood bag 30 and the leukocyte removal filter 50 up to the first blood bag 30 side beyond the merging connector 43, and then close the gap between the air and the merging connector 43 with a clamp or the like, but it is not required. Even if the gap between the air and the merging connector 43 is not closed, the flow of blood from the second blood bag 31 to the merging connector 43 via the second merging tube 44 prevents the air from moving downstream of the merging connector 43 again.

[0040] The liquid (blood product) contained in the containment bag 70 is released into the upstream administration tube 80, passes through the backflow control unit 81, reaches the administration device 90, and is administered into the patient's blood vessels through the administration needle 92. Since white blood cells have been removed from the administered liquid, the occurrence of side effects such as viral infection and fever caused by white blood cells can be suppressed. The backflow control unit 81 prevents the patient's blood from flowing back through the administration needle 92.

[0041] As described above, the blood collection system 1 according to the first embodiment is a blood collection system 1 for collecting and storing blood from a blood donor, and includes a blood collection unit (blood collection needle 11) capable of collecting blood, a first blood bag 30 capable of storing blood from the blood collection unit, at least one second blood bag 31 capable of storing blood from the blood collection unit and having a larger volume than the first blood bag 30, a leukocyte removal filter 50 for removing leukocytes from the blood flowing out of the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31, and a storage bag 70 capable of storing the blood flowing out of the leukocyte removal filter 50. As a result, the blood collection system 1 can quickly complete the storage of blood in the first blood bag 30, which has a smaller volume than the second blood bag 31, and quickly begin the removal of leukocytes from the blood.Therefore, the blood collection system 1 can quickly remove leukocytes from the blood and make it ready for administration.

[0042] Furthermore, the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 contain an anticoagulant 33 in proportion to their volume. This allows the blood collection system 1 to mix an appropriate amount of anticoagulant 33 with the blood according to the volume of the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31, thereby effectively suppressing blood coagulation.

[0043] Furthermore, the blood collection system 1 includes a plurality of branching tubes (first branching tube 23 and second branching tube 24) that branch off the flow path from the blood collection unit and connect to the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31, respectively, and opening / closing members (first opening / closing member 25 and second opening / closing member 26) that allow each flow path of the branching tube to be opened and closed. As a result, the blood collection system 1 can select the blood bag (first blood bag 30 or second blood bag 31) into which the collected blood will flow using the opening / closing members.

[0044] Further, the blood collection system 1 has a merging portion 40 that merges the flow paths from each of the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 into one and connects the merged flow path to the leukocyte removal filter 50. Thereby, the blood collection system 1 can filter blood flowing out from the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 with a single leukocyte removal filter 50 and store the filtered blood in the common storage bag 70. Therefore, although blood is collected using a plurality of blood bags, administration to a patient can be performed continuously over a long period of time from the common storage bag 70 without interruption.

[0045] Further, the blood collection system 1 has an administration section (administration needle 92) capable of administering the liquid flowing out from the storage bag 70. Thereby, the blood collection system 1 can administer the liquid stored in the storage bag 70 into the blood vessel of the patient.

[0046] Further, the blood collection system 1 has a backflow control unit 81 between the storage bag 70 and the administration section (administration needle 92) that suppresses backflow of liquid going from the administration section toward the storage bag 70. Thereby, the blood collection system 1 can suppress backflow of blood from the patient's blood vessel and reduce the burden on the patient.

[0047] Note that the present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, a known blood collection pump may be disposed on the blood collection tube 12 or the branch source tube 21. Further, a known administration pump may be disposed on the upstream administration tube 80 or the administration tube 93. Furthermore, a drip chamber may be disposed on the upstream administration tube 80 or the administration tube 93.

[0048] Further, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 2, the first blood bag 30 and the second blood bag 31 may be integrally formed by overlapping two sheets and fusing the peripheral edges. Similarly when there are three or more blood bags, all of them may be integrally formed of two sheets.

[0049] 1 Blood collection system 10 Blood collection device 11 Blood collection needle (blood collection section) 20 Branch section 23 First branch tube 24 Second branch tube 25 First opening / closing member (opening / closing member) 26 Second opening / closing member (opening / closing member) 30 First blood bag 31 Second blood bag 33 Anticoagulant 40 Confluence section 45 First opening member (opening member) 46 Second opening member (opening member) 50 Leukocyte removal filter 70 Storage bag 81 Backflow control unit 92 Administration needle (administration section)

Claims

1. A blood collection system for collecting and storing blood from a blood donor, comprising: a blood collection unit capable of collecting blood; a first blood bag capable of storing blood from the blood collection unit; at least one second blood bag capable of storing blood from the blood collection unit and having a larger volume than the first blood bag; a leukocyte removal filter for removing leukocytes from the blood flowing out of the first blood bag and the second blood bag; and a storage bag capable of storing the blood flowing out of the leukocyte removal filter.

2. The blood collection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first blood bag and the second blood bag contain an anticoagulant in proportion to their volume.

3. The blood collection system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising: a plurality of branching tubes that branch off the flow path from the blood collection unit and connect to the first blood bag and the second blood bag, respectively; and an opening / closing member that allows each of the flow paths of the branching tubes to be opened and closed.

4. The blood collection system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a merging section that merges the flow paths from the first blood bag and the second blood bag into one and connects to the leukocyte removal filter.

5. The blood collection system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has an administration section capable of administering the liquid flowing out of the containment bag.

6. The blood collection system according to claim 5, further comprising a backflow control unit between the containment bag and the administration unit to suppress backflow of liquid from the administration unit to the containment bag.

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