Patent Publication Number: US-2021186391-A1

Title: Syringe integrated platelet extraction device

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device which is cheap to manufacture through integration of a blood collection instrument and a platelet extraction instrument, can simplify a platelet extraction procedure, can minimize contamination of blood due to exposure to the atmosphere, and can extract high-purity platelets. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Blood carries oxygen from the lungs to tissue cells, carries carbon dioxide from tissue cells to the lungs to release the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and carries nutrients absorbed in the digestive tract to organs or tissue cells. 
     In addition, blood carries breakdown products of tissue, unnecessary for the body, to the kidneys to discharge the breakdown products from the body and carries hormones secreted from the endocrine glands to organs and tissue. Further, blood serves to maintain a constant body temperature by evenly distributing body heat and performs various other functions such as destroying and detoxifying bacteria and foreign substances that have invaded the body. 
     Although blood is used as a major indicator to detect various diseases or to monitor physical conditions, platelets in the blood, which are rich in growth factors, are used for therapeutic purposes. 
     Blood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and the like. Thereamong, the platelets are mostly present in plasma. The plasma is divided into platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-poor plasma (PPP). Thereamong, PRP is widely used not only for improvement of wrinkles, scars, and pigment disorders of the skin, but also for therapeutic purposes, such as helping to generate cells by stimulating stem cells through transplantation into a pain area, especially, the knee joint, ligaments, muscles, and the like. 
     Since PRP is present in a trace amount (about 1%) in collected blood and is difficult to separate from red blood cells due to high viscosity thereof, a technology for extracting high-purity PRP free from red blood cells is actively studied. 
     Conventionally, a PRP separation vessel has usually been used as a test tube. However, recently, a centrifugation method is generally used in order to achieve quick separation while allowing each separated phase to form a complete layer and a platelet extraction device adapted to extract PRP from centrifuged blood is generally used. The most common type of such a platelet extraction device employs a method in which blood collected from the body using a blood collection syringe is introduced into the platelet extraction device, followed by centrifugation to separate the blood into three layers, and then a needle of a syringe is inserted into an upper portion of the extraction device to extract only a PRP layer. 
     Despite having advantages of a relatively simple PRP layer separation process, this method has a problem in that there is a high risk of contamination of blood due to exposure to the atmosphere since the blood collection syringe and the platelet extraction device are used individually and in that it is very difficult to separate only the PRP layer using the syringe needle. 
     Recently, there has been developed a platelet extraction instrument that uses a centrifugal housing as a main body of a blood collection syringe to eliminate the need to separately introduce collected blood into the centrifugal housing, as in the related art, thereby preventing contamination of blood. 
     However, such a platelet extraction instrument still has a problem in that extraction of centrifuged plasma and platelets requires a process of screwing a separate connector onto the housing and screwing a corresponding extraction syringe onto the connector after centrifugation, causing reduction in purity of platelets due to partial mixing between plasma, platelets, and red blood cells during plasma or platelet extraction and contamination of blood due to exposure to the atmosphere during connection of the connector to the housing. 
     In addition, this platelet extraction instrument has problems of difficulty in precisely extracting only platelets and occurrence of interlayer mixing due to generation of a vortex during the extraction process, like typical platelet extraction instruments. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention have been conceived to solve such a problem in the art and it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device which is manufactured in the form of a blood collection syringe such that blood collection, centrifugation, and platelet extraction can be performed using a single instrument, has a simple structure, is cheap to manufacture, and can prevent not only contamination of blood due to exposure to the atmosphere, but also occurrence of a vortex during platelet extraction, thereby allowing extraction of high-purity platelets. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device including: a housing having a longitudinal inner space for receiving collected blood, open at a top thereof, and formed at a bottom thereof with an orifice to which a syringe needle is coupled; a cap coupled to the orifice of the housing; a collector press-fitted into the housing from above the housing; a connector detachably coupled to an upper portion of the collector; and a plunger detachably coupled to the connector, wherein the collector includes a body movably disposed inside the housing, a coupling portion formed at an upper side of the body and allowing a lower end of the connector to be detachably coupled thereto, a cup portion inwardly recessed from a lower surface of the body and receiving platelets therein, a support portion extending from a lower end of the coupling portion and allowing a plasma extraction syringe or a platelet extraction syringe to be inserted thereinto and coupled thereto, and a communication portion having a smaller diameter than the support portion and allowing the cup portion to communicate with the support portion. 
     The cup portion may have a volume corresponding to an amount of platelets to be extracted. 
     The cup portion may include: a first curved portion formed at a lower inner periphery of the body to be curved in an inward direction of the body; an inclined portion upwardly extending from the first curved portion and inclined at a predetermined angle toward the support portion; and a second curved portion extending from an upper end of the inclined portion and curved toward the support portion. 
     The support portion may include: a first coupling portion downwardly extending from the coupling portion, tapered toward a lower end thereof, and supporting an outer periphery of a tip of the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe; and a second coupling portion downwardly extending from a lower end of the first coupling portion, having a smaller diameter than the first coupling portion, and allowing an orifice of the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe to be inserted thereinto and coupled thereto. 
     The collector may further include a soft gasket coupled to an outer surface of the body. 
     The gasket may have multiple annular protrusions formed on an outer surface thereof. 
     The housing may further include an annular ledge inwardly protruding from an upper inner surface thereof. 
     The syringe-integrated platelet extraction device may further include: a holder retaining the housing by allowing one side of an outer surface of the housing to be supported on one side of an upper surface thereof. 
     The holder may include a movement prevention portion formed at one side of an inner surface thereof to support the one side of the outer surface of the housing. 
     The present invention provides a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device which is manufactured in the form of a blood collection syringe such that blood collection, centrifugation, and platelet extraction can be performed using a single instrument, has a simple structure, is cheap to manufacture, and can prevent not only contamination of blood due to exposure to the atmosphere, but also occurrence of a vortex during platelet extraction, thereby allowing extraction of high-purity platelets. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , with a syringe needle coupled to the housing thereof. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , with blood collected in the housing thereof. 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , showing centrifugation of blood collected in the housing thereof. 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , showing extraction of plasma in the housing thereof. 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , showing extraction of platelets in the housing thereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device according to one embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , a syringe-integrated platelet extraction device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing  10 , a cap  20 , a collector  30 , a connector  40 , a plunger  50 , and a holder  60 . 
     The housing  10  is in form of a cylinder having a predetermined length, has a longitudinal inner space  11  for receiving blood, and is open at a top thereof to expose the space  11 . 
     In addition, the housing  10  has a hollow orifice  12  formed at a bottom thereof and coupled to a syringe needle or the cap  20  and a support wall  13  formed outside the orifice  12 , open at a bottom thereof, and having a threaded inner surface to be coupled to the syringe needle or the cap  20 . 
     Further, the housing  10  has an annular ledge  14  inwardly protruding from an upper inner surface thereof to prevent the collector  30  from being separated from the housing  10  and to identify or restrict a withdrawal height of the plunger  50  such that an appropriate amount of blood can be collected. 
     The housing  10  according to this embodiment may be any typical syringe housing  10 . Depending on the amount of blood to be extracted, a syringe having a volume of 10 cc to 20 cc may generally be used. 
     The cap  20  includes a cylindrical main body  21 , a coupling protrusion  22  protruding from an upper surface of the main body  21 , having a threaded outer surface, and formed at upper end thereof with a vertical insertion hole  22   a  into which the orifice  12  of the housing  10  is inserted, and a packing member  23  disposed in the insertion hole  22   a  of the coupling protrusion  22  and sealing a gap between the orifice  12  and the coupling protrusion  22 . 
     The coupling protrusion  22  of the cap  20  is screwed onto the support wall  13  of the housing  10  and the packing member  23  of the cap  20  seals the orifice  12  to prevent blood received in the housing  10  after blood collection from leaking outside. 
     The collector  30  includes a body  31  press-fitted into the housing  10 , a gasket  32  coupled to an outer surface of the body  31 , a coupling portion  33  formed at an upper side of the body  31 , a cup portion  34  formed on a lower surface of the body  31 , a support portion  35  formed inside the body  31 , and a communication portion  36  through which the cup portion  34  communicates with the support portion  35 . 
     The body  31  is in form of a cylinder having a predetermined length and has a support groove  31   a  formed on the outer surface thereof to support the gasket  32 . The body  31  is press-fitted at one side thereof into the housing  10  and is coupled at the other side thereof to a plasma extraction syringe or a platelet extraction syringe to connect the housing  10  to the syringe. 
     The gasket  32  is coupled to the outer surface of the body  31  to be supported at one side thereof on the support groove  31   a  and held against the inner wall of the housing  10 , thereby preventing blood from leaking through a gap between the body  31  and the inner wall of the housing  10  during extraction of plasma or platelets. 
     Preferably, the gasket  32  has at least three annular protrusions  32   a  formed on the outer surface thereof to be vertically separated from one another at regular intervals so as to provide improved sealing between the body  31  and the inner wall of the housing  10 . 
     The coupling portion  33  is inwardly recessed from the upper surface of the body portion  31  and has a threaded inner surface to be screwed onto the connector  40  described below. The coupling portion  33  serves to allow the connector  40  to be detachably coupled to the body  31 . 
     The cup portion  34  is inwardly recessed from the lower surface of the body  31  and has a volume corresponding to the amount of platelets to be extracted. In this embodiment, the cup portion  34  has a volume of 1 cc based on the assumption that 20 cc of blood is to be extracted. 
     The cup portion  34  makes it easy to identify a boundary between plasma and platelets during plasma extraction and the amount of extracted platelets while preventing occurrence of a vortex due to extraction pressure during plasma or platelet extraction, thus preventing mixing between plasma and platelets or between platelets and red blood cells. 
     More specifically, the cup portion  34  includes a first curved portion  34   a  formed on a lower inner surface of the body  31  to be curved in an inward direction of the body  31 , an inclined portion  34   b  upwardly extending from the first curved portion  34   a  to be inclined at a predetermined angle toward the support portion  35 , and a second curved portion  34   c  extending from an upper end of the inclined portion  34   b  to be curved toward the support portion  35 . 
     That is, the cup portion  34  has a generally bell shape, whereby, when blood in the housing  10  is moved to the cup portion  34  having a relatively small diameter during plasma or platelet extraction, the blood can flow naturally into the cup portion  34  along the curved surface while occurrence of a vortex at an entrance of the cup portion  34  can be suppressed. 
     The support portion  35  includes a first coupling portion  35   a  extending from a lower end of the coupling portion  33  to be tapered toward a lower end thereof and a second coupling portion  35   b  extending from the lower end of the first coupling portion  35   a  and having a smaller diameter than the first coupling portion  35   a.    
     Here, the first coupling portion  35   a  supports an outer periphery of a tip of the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe during plasma or platelet extraction, and the second coupling portion  35   b  securely receives and firmly supports an orifice of the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe, thereby minimizing movement of the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe during plasma or platelet extraction. 
     The communication hole  36  has a smaller diameter than the second coupling portion  35   b  and serves to connect the support portion  35  to the cup portion  34  to allow plasma or platelets in the housing  10  to be moved into the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe coupled to the support portion  35 . 
     In addition, the communication hole  36  has a much smaller volume than the interior of the housing  10 , whereby, when blood is moved into the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe coupled to the support portion  35 , the boundary between plasma and platelets or between platelets and red blood cells can be easily identified. 
     The connector  40  includes a generally cylindrical connection body  41 , a male thread portion  42  protruding from a lower end of the connection body  41  and having a threaded outer surface to be detachably coupled to an upper portion of the support portion  35 , and a female thread portion  43  recessed from an upper surface of the connection body  41  and having a threaded inner surface to allow the plunger  50  described below to be detachably coupled thereto. The connector  40  serves to connect the collector  30  press-fitted into the housing  10  to the plunger  50 , thereby allowing a blood collection operation to be performed. 
     In addition, the connector  40  is separated from the collector  30  after completion of a blood centrifugation operation. Preferably, the connector  40  has such a length that an upper portion thereof partially protrudes outside the housing  10  after blood collection so as to facilitate separation of the connector  40 . 
     The plunger  50  has a shape corresponding to the shape of a plunger  50  of a typical syringe and has a fastening portion  51  formed at a tip thereof to be coupled to the female thread portion  43 . 
     The plunger  50  is coupled to the collector  30  upon trying to collect blood, thereby allowing a blood collection operation to be performed. 
     The holder  60  includes a holder body  61  having an inner space  61   a , open at a top thereof, and having a side surface formed with an insertion hole  61   b  through which the housing  10  is inserted into the holder body  61  and a support cover  62  coupled to an upper portion of the holder body  61 , having an insertion groove  62   a  formed at one side thereof corresponding to the insertion hole  61   b , and supporting one side of the housing  10  on an upper surface thereof. 
     That is, the holder  60  is configured such that the housing  10  is inserted thereinto through the insertion hole  61   b  and the insertion groove  62   a  and one side of the upper portion of the inserted housing  10  is supported on the upper surface of the support cover  62 . When the plasma extraction syringe or the platelet extraction syringe is coupled to the housing  10  and a main body  21  of the corresponding syringe is pressed downward to extract plasma or platelets from blood in the housing  10 , the holder  60  allows the housing  10  to be supported on the ground, thereby allowing stable plasma or platelet extraction operation. 
     In addition, the holder  60  further includes a movement prevention portion formed at one side of an inner surface thereof to support one side of the outer surface of the housing  10  retained in the holder  60 , thereby preventing movement of the housing  10  during PRP or PPP extraction. 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , with a syringe needle coupled to the housing thereof,  FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , with blood collected in the housing thereof,  FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , showing centrifugation of blood collected in the housing thereof,  FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , showing extraction of plasma in the housing thereof, and  FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device of  FIG. 1 , showing extraction of platelets in the housing thereof. 
     Now, a method of extracting platelets using the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device  1  according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 8 . 
     First, the syringe-integrated platelet extraction device  1  according to the embodiment, a plasma extraction syringe P, and a platelet extraction syringe R are prepared. 
     A needle N is coupled to a leading end of the housing  10  and the plunger  50  is coupled to the connector  40  at a trailing end of the housing  10 , followed by collecting blood from a subject. Here, 20 cc of blood is generally collected to extract 1 cc of platelets. In this embodiment, upon completion of blood collection, the upper portion of the connector  40  protrudes outside the housing  10  (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     After completion of blood collection, the needle N and the plunger  50  are separated from the housing  10  and then the cap  20  is screwed onto the leading end of the housing  10  to seal the housing  10 . 
     The sealed housing  10  is mounted on a centrifuge, followed by centrifugation to separate the blood into plasma, platelets, and red blood cells. 
     Thereafter, the housing  10  is inserted into the holder  60  through the insertion hole  61   b  and the insertion groove  62   a  of the holder  60  and then one side of the upper portion of the housing  10  is held on the upper surface of the support cover  62 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . With the upper portion of the housing  10  held on the upper surface of the support cover  62 , one side of the outer surface of the housing  10  is supported against the movement prevention portion  63 , whereby the housing  10  can be more stably retained in the holder  60 . 
     Then, after separating the connector  40  from the collector  30  (see  FIG. 6 ), the tip of the plasma extraction syringe P is inserted into and coupled to the support portion  35  (see  FIG. 7( a ) ). Even when an orifice P 1  of the plasma extraction syringe P is not accurately inserted into the second coupling portion  35   b , the inclined surface of the first coupling portion  35   a  can guide the orifice P 1  toward the second coupling portion  35   b , thereby allowing the orifice P 1  to be easily inserted into and coupled to the second coupling portion  35   b.    
     With the plasma extraction syringe P inserted into and coupled to the support portion  35 , an outer periphery of the plasma extraction syringe P is brought into surface contact with and supported by the first coupling portion  35   a  and the orifice P 1  is inserted into and coupled to the second coupling portion  35   b , whereby the plasma extraction syringe P can be firmly connected to and held against the collector  30 . 
     After connecting the plasma extraction syringe P to the collector  30 , a main body  21  of the plasma extraction syringe P is pressed downward to extract the plasma contained in the housing  10 . 
     Since the communication hole  36  located on a movement path of the plasma has a smaller diameter than the housing  10  and has a predetermined height in a vertical direction, the boundary between plasma and platelets can be easily identified through the communication hole  36 , thereby allowing precise extraction of the plasma. 
     In addition, according to this embodiment, since the cup portion  34  is designed to have a volume corresponding to the amount of platelets to be extracted, a PRP layer can be precisely charged in the cup portion  34  by ceasing a plasma extraction operation at the time that the reception groove  34  is filled up with platelets during plasma extraction. 
     In the vicinity of the boundary between plasma and platelets, partial mixing between the plasma and the platelets occurs, causing reduction in platelet purity. Accordingly, it is desirable that an additional 1 cc to 2 cc of platelets be extracted along with plasma during plasma extraction. 
     After completion of plasma extraction, the plasma extraction syringe P is separated from the collector  30  and the platelet extraction syringe R is inserted into and coupled to the collector  30  in the same manner as the plasma extraction syringe P (see  FIG. 8 ). 
     Here, the PRP layer can be naturally moved from the cup portion  34  toward the support portion  35 , that is, toward the platelet extraction syringe R along the first curved portion  34   a , the inclined portion  34   b , and the second curved portion  34   c , thereby minimizing occurrence of a vortex during movement of platelets and thus allowing extraction of high-purity platelets free from admixed red blood cells. 
     Although some exemplary embodiments have been described herein, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are given by way of illustration only, and that various modifications, variations and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be interpreted according to the following appended claims as covering all modifications or variations derived from the appended claims and equivalents thereto.