Patent ID: 7452344

Claim:
A method of collecting and separating a patient's blood and recovering a platelet-rich concentrate comprising: (a) collecting the patient's blood using a needle set comprising a hollow needle having attached tubing and a fitting adapted to engage a first port in an elongated container fitted with a movable plunger having a second port therein; (b) transferring said blood through said first port into said elongated container; (c) centrifuging said blood in said container and separating said blood into platelet-rich plasma and red blood cells; (d) displacing the red blood cells separated in (c) from said container by moving said plunger towards said first port and expelling said red blood cells into a waste bag through tubing attached to said first port; (e) removing said waste bag of (d) and centrifuging said platelet-rich plasma remaining in said container and separating a platelet-rich concentrate from a platelet-poor plasma; (f) attaching a hollow plunger rod having a third port therein to said plunger and displacing the platelet-poor plasma separated in (e) from said container by moving said plunger towards said first port and expelling said platelet-poor plasma through said second port of said plunger and said third port of said plunger rod into a waste bag attached to the plunger rod; (g) recovering the platelet-rich concentrate separated in (e) and remaining in said container; and wherein displacing said red blood cells, platelet-rich plasma, and platelet-poor plasma is carried out automatically in centrifuge equipment having facilities for opening said ports.