Patent ID: 7753869

Claim:
A method of treating a patient infected with a virus, comprising: removing at least a portion of the patient's virus-infected blood; diluting said at least a portion of the blood with a diluent to provide diluted blood, thereby reducing a viral concentration in said at least a portion of the blood; irradiating at least a portion of the diluted blood using a UV light source; concentrating the diluted blood using a hemoconcentrator thereby removing at least a portion of the diluent therefrom; returning the treated blood to the patient, wherein irradiating at least a portion of the diluted blood comprises providing a fluid chamber adjacent to the UV light source, said fluid chamber confining the diluted blood to a thin film for exposure to said UV light source; wherein a portion of the diluted blood is transported through a serpentine path during irradiation; wherein the UV light source is configured to directly inactivate or kill one or more viruses in the diluted blood while the diluted blood is transported along a serpentine path within the fluid chamber.