Blood-profusing Apparatus

Abstract

Apparatus for holding a blood bag and causing the blood to be fed comprising an open boxlike member having a wall and a movable piston inside the boxlike member in operative relation with the wall. Mechanical means is secured to the piston to retract it from the wall and thus to provide a space in which a blood bag can be positioned and held in place by the piston. Retraction of the piston puts it under spring pressure which causes it to apply pressure to the blood bag and thus to force blood out of the bag gradually and constantly until the bag is empty.

Description

At the present time, one type of apparatus for handling a blood bag and feeding blood therefrom includes an inflatable sleeve which is placed around the bag and inflated to apply pressure to the bag and thus to force the blood therefrom. However, the pressure is relatively low, about 300 mm. Hg., and the sleeve must be reinflated in the middle of the operation. These factors are undesirable.

Another type of apparatus uses a CO.sub.2 cartridge to apply pressure to the blood bag; however, the operation of this apparatus is too slow and again the pressure is too low, also about 300 mm. Hg.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 showing the apparatus at another stage in its operation; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevational view of a portion of the invention at one stage in its operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The apparatus of the invention 10 includes a generally boxlike frame 20 having a front wall 30, a rear wall 40 and two sidewalls 50 and 60. The ends of the frame are open at top and bottom. The frame 20 is preferably made of a light, thermally conductive material such as aluminum, or some other metal. If heat conduction is not required, the frame might be made of plastic. A movable piston 70, also made of aluminum, plastic or the like and generally the same size as the front wall 30 of the frame is placed inside the frame abutting the front wall.

The piston 70 has a front wall 80 which abuts the front wall 30 of the frame and a rear wall 90. At about the center of the rear wall 90 of the piston 70 is secured, for example by welding, a threaded nut 100, and a threaded shaft 110 is secured to the threaded nut 100 and held in place by a lock nut 120. The shaft 110 extend rearwardly through a hole 130 in the rear wall 40 at about its center. The hole 130 is sufficiently large so that the shaft 110 can move about so that the flat piston secured thereto can be oriented at different angles with respect to the front wall. The threaded shaft 110 extends a suitable distance out of the frame, and its free end carries a handle 140 which has a hub 150 mounted on the shaft 110. A relatively short portion 160 of the hub, near the end 162 adjacent to wall 40, is threaded internally, and this engages the threaded shaft 110. The end 162 of the hub bears against rear wall 40 during one stage of the operation of the apparatus. The end of the threaded shaft inside the handle hub carries a washer or disc 170 which is of sufficient diameter that the handle cannot be completely removed from the shaft. In addition, considering the apparatus 10 when it is inoperative and piston 70 abuts wall 30 as shown in FIG. 2, the end of the shaft 110 within the handle hub includes a portion 112 (FIG. 4) which is threaded and engages the threaded portion 160 of the hub. Between portion 112 and washer 170, the shaft 110 includes a smaller-diameter, unthreaded portion 114 onto which the handle hub can be moved in order to, in effect, disengage the handle from the shaft. This disengagement permits the handle to float free with respect to the shaft. This is done so that the shaft can move into the frame during the operation, to be described.

If desired, washer 170 might be omitted so that the handle might be removed completely from the shaft. In addition, the shaft need not be threaded all the way to its inner end secured to piston 70.

A spring 180 of suitable size and strength is mounted on the threaded shaft 110 inside the frame between the rear wall 40 and piston 70.

A carrying handle is provided for the frame, and one suitable handle comprises a metal strip 190 secured between the top edges of the two sidewalls 50 and 60. The handle 190 is used to suspend the apparatus 10 during operation.

In operation of the apparatus 10, initially, the piston 70 is inside the frame as far as it will go and in contact with the front wall 30. The spring 180 at this time is expanded to its fullest extent and is generally not under compression. The handle 140 is then rotated in the proper direction to draw the threaded shaft 110 into the hub 150 of the handle and thus to retract the piston 70 from the front wall 30. This operation puts the spring 180 under compression. When a suitable space or chamber is provided (FIG. 3) between the piston and the front wall inside the frame, a blood bag 198 is inserted and held in place by hand, for example, and the handle is rotated in the opposite direction to disconnect it from the shaft as in FIG. 4. If washer 170 is not present, the handle is completely removed. Now, with the blood bag suitably coupled to a patient, and under the pressure of the spring 180, the piston 70 is forced against the bag under spring pressure, and the blood is forced from the bag. The piston bears against the bag constantly and uniformly and is moved toward the front wall until the bag is emptied. It is clear that the free end of the shaft 110 which extends out of the housing through wall 40 may be of sufficient length so that the handle 140 can be rotated away from wall 40 and the shaft 110 can be released to start a fluid-feeding operation without being disconnected from the handle as illustrated in FIG. 4. In this case, the handle need only be threaded away from the wall 40 a distance at least as great as the distance through which the plate 70 must travel toward wall 30 to completely empty the bag 198. The dimensions of the parts as shown in FIG. 3 would appear to be suitable to permit this mode of operation.

The apparatus of the invention can be used to dispense blood at an elevated temperature, for example body temperature, by means of an electric heating element 200 secured to the outer front surface of the front wall by clips, screws, or by any suitable means. The heating element would include the usual power cord which could be connected to a power outlet, or it might be battery operated.

The invention has many advantages as follows:

1. By suitable selection of the spring mounted on the shaft, pressure as high as 800 mm. Hg can be readily achieved.

2. The apparatus is light, of the order of 21/2 pounds, so that it can be handled easily by a nurse.

3. A patient can be moved while the apparatus is coupled to him since it is self-contained.

4. Warm blood can be dispensed.

5. The apparatus is completely mechanical and will last indefinitely.

Claims

I claim:

1. Apparatus for holding a fluid-filled bag and dispensing said fluid therefrom comprising: a frame having a first wall and a second wall; a plate inside said frame in operative relation with said first wall and movable away from and toward said first wall; means normally holding said plate in contact with said first wall; said means including spring means and a portion engaging said second wall and manipulatable in a first mode of operation to apply a retracting force to said plate to draw it away from said first wall to a retracted position and to provide a space between said plate and said first wall into which a fluid-filled bag may be inserted; and said portion in said first mode of operation bearing against said second wall and thereby being able to hold said plate in its retracted position, said portion of said means also being manipulatable in a second mode of operation to remove it from contact with said second wall, thereby releasing said plate from its retracted position and permitting it, with the aid of said spring means, to move toward said first wall and at the same time to apply pressure to said bag to dispense fluid therefrom.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 and including heating means secured to said frame for heating a blood bag carried thereby.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 and including heating means secured to said first wall for heating a blood bag carried in said frame.

4. Fluid-dispensing apparatus comprising: an open chamber having a plurality of walls including a front wall and a rear wall; a movable plate inside said chamber in operative relation with said front wall and adapted to be moved away from said front wall to provide a space in which a fluid-filled bag can be inserted; spring means positioned between said movable plate and said rear wall inside said chamber; a shaft secured to said movable plate and extending vertically therefrom through an aperture in said rear wall, said shaft having a free and outside said chamber; an operating handle threadedly coupled to said free end of said shaft outside said chamber and bearing against the outside surface of said rear wall; said handle being rotatable in one direction while bearing against said rear wall to move said movable plate away from said front wall and to hold said plate away from said front wall at any desired spacing from said front wall; said spring means being compressed by movement of said movable plate away from said front wall; and said operating handle being rotatable in a direction opposite to said one direction so that it can move along said shaft away from said rear wall whereby its holding action on said shaft is released and the compressed spring means can apply driving pressure to said movable plate and can move said movable plate back toward said front wall whereby said movable plate can apply pressure to said bag and can force said fluid therefrom.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said plate is about the same size and shape as said wall portion.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said shaft is threaded and said spring means comprises a cylindrical spring which is threaded on said shaft between said plate and said rear wall.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said shaft is threaded and said spring means comprises a cylindrical spring which is threaded on said shaft between said plate and said rear wall, the diameter of said spring being such that the spring exerts its force over a relatively large portion of the surface of said plate.

8. Fluid-dispensing apparatus comprising: an open chamber having a plurality of walls including a front wall and a rear wall; a movable plate inside said chamber in operative relation with said front wall and adapted to be moved away from said front wall to provide a space in which a fluid-filled bag can be inserted; a generally cylindrical spring positioned between said movable plate and said rear wall inside said chamber; a threaded shaft secured to said movable plate and extending vertically therefrom through said cylindrical spring and through an aperture in said rear wall, said shaft having a free end outside said chamber; an operating handle threadedly coupled to said free end of said threaded shaft outside said chamber and bearing against the outside surface of said rear wall; said handle being rotatable in one direction, while bearing against said rear wall, to move said movable plate away from said front wall and to hold said plate away from said front wall at any desired spacing from said front wall; said spring being compressed by movement of said movable plate away from said front wall; and said operating handle being removable from said threaded shaft by threading in a direction opposite to said one direction and away from said rear wall whereby the compressed spring can apply driving pressure to said movable plate and can move said movable plate back toward said front wall whereby said movable plate can apply pressure to said bag and can force said fluid therefrom.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein said handle includes a hub in which the free end of said shaft lies outside said chamber; said free end of said shaft including a first threaded portion and a second smaller-diameter, unthreaded portion; and said hub including a threaded portion at its end which is adapted to engage said first threaded portion of said shaft, said hub being rotatable to move it from said first threaded portion to said second portion whereby said handle and said shaft are disconnected from each other.