Rhone-poulenc S.a.

Jean-Michel Malbrancq

Georges Vantard

Rene Angleraud

Elisabeth Bouveret

Apparatus/process for the withdrawal and return of liquid materials from a donor source, comprising means for withdrawing whole blood from a mammalian donor; a membranous blood filtration cell which includes a membrane separator/filter, a compartment downstream therefrom for receiving a blood plasma fraction and a compartment upstream thereof for receiving a blood cellular component fraction; conduit means for communicating the withdrawal means and an inlet end of the upstream compartment; a collection vessel; conduit means for communicating an outlet end of said upstream compartment and said collection vessel; means for determining the volume of liquid material withdrawn from the donor source during a withdrawal stage; means for back-filtering and returning liquid material from said collection vessel to the donor source; a second collection vessel; and conduit means for communicating an outlet end of the downstream compartment and the second collection vessel.

Membrane apparatus/process adapted for plasmapheresis

Process/apparatus for the processing of body fluids, advantageously comprising plasmapheresis technique for the fractionation of whole blood, features (i) means, e.g., a common blood transfusion needle, for withdrawing and returning body fluid from and to a living patient; (ii) a body fluid separating module which comprises an upstream first compartment and a downstram second compartment, and having a semi-permeable membrane body fluid separator disposed therebetween; (iii) first conduit means communicating said withdrawal and return means (i) with the upstream first compartment of said separating module (ii); (iv) means provided along said first conduit (iii) for conveying body fluid in either direction therein; (v) means responsive to said conveying means (iv), adapted to monitor the pressure of body fluid circulating in said first conduit (iii), and provided between said withdrawal and return means (i) and said conveying means (iv); (vi) means for collecting body fluid transported across said semi-permeable membrane and communicating with the downstream second compartment of said separating module (ii); (vii) second conduit means communicating the upstream first compartment of said module (ii) to (viii) means for containing body fluid which has not been transported across said semi-permeable membrane thereof, (ix) third conduit means communicating said container means (viii) to said first conduit means (iii) at a point intermediate said conveying means (iv) and the upstream first compartment of said separating module (ii); (x) means provided along said first conduit (iii) at a point intermediate the upstream first compartment of said separating module (ii) and the juncture of communication between said container means (viii) and the said first conduit means (iii), for conveying body fluid therein in the direction of the said upstream first compartment; and (xi) means for ensuring that the pressure across the said semi-permeable membrane of any body fluid in contact therewith does not exceed predetermined value.

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Thiais, France

Jean-Michel Malbrancq