Patent ID: 6406672
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: B01L,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for separating blood plasma from a whole blood sample having a selected total volume, the sample including a partial volume of blood plasma and a partial volume of hematocrit, the apparatus comprising:a body having an inlet port for receiving a whole blood sample, a capillary pathway having an inlet end coupled to the inlet port, the capillary pathway being dimensioned sufficiently small to assure transport of the blood sample including the plasma from the inlet end into the capillary pathway by capillary pressure, at least one partition fixed within the capillary pathway, each partition enclosing a hollow area and including at least one opening defined by confronting surfaces of the partition, each opening leading from the capillary pathway outside a partition to the hollow area within the partition, each opening having a dimension defined by the distance between the confronting surfaces of between about 0.1 and 15 &mgr;m.