A
system for collecting and
processing blood from a donor (70), wherein the
system may be compact enough to be located entirely beside the donor's chair, and be able to process the blood while the donor is still resting in the chair after having donated the blood. Thus, the separated blood components (
plasma and red blood cells) may be stored in their individual optimum environments immediately after the
whole blood is drawn, and the blood does not need to be transported back to a separation laboratory for
processing. The
system includes a needle (72) (or other cannula-like device) for
insertion into a
vein of the donor and drawing
whole blood therethrough, a variable-volume rotor (2a) for holding the blood after it is drawn, and a motor (50) for
spinning the rotor so as to cause the blood to separate into components, for example,
plasma and red blood cells. The system also provides for a container for collecting a separated component. In a preferred embodiment two containers are used: the first container (92) for containing an
anticoagulant, which is preferably added to the
whole blood as it is drawn from the donor, and then for storing the
plasma after it has been separated from the red blood cells, and the second container (91) for storing the separated red blood cells. The system further includes tubing (73), which may have valving (81) built into it and which may be acted on externally, so as to direct the blood components in the desired manner.