Blood component collection apparatus and method

1. A blood component collection apparatus for separating blood from a donor so as to collect a predetermined blood component, comprising:

a blood collection needle for collecting blood from a donor;

a blood separator for separating said predetermined blood component from said blood collected by said blood collection needle;

a blood component collecting bag for collecting said predetermined blood component separated by said blood separator,

a blood line connecting said blood collection needle and an inflow port of said blood separator, said blood line being provided with a first branched portion and a second branched portion between said blood collection needle and said first branched portion,

an initial flow collecting line branched from the second branched portion to collect an initial flow of said blood collected from said donor, and

an anticoagulant feeding line branched from the first branched portion to feed an anticoagulant;

supply means for adding said anticoagulant to said blood collected by said blood collection needle;

an air containing space intermediately present between said anticoagulant and said blood in a passage of said blood line after both a priming operation is performed in which said anticoagulant is supplied from said anticoagulant feeding line toward a blood separator side of said blood line through said first branched portion by operating said supply means and an initial flow collecting operation is performed in which said initial flow of said blood is supplied to said initial flow collecting line; and

an initial flow collecting bag provided in said initial flow collecting line so as to reserve said initial flow of said blood, wherein the length of a portion of said blood line between said first branched portion and said second branched portion is smaller than the length of a portion of said initial flow collecting line between said second branched portion and said initial flow collecting bag.

2. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

detection means for detecting a liquid present in said blood line between said first branched portion and said blood separator; and

said priming operation is performed until said anticoagulant is detected by said detection means.

3. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first clamp adapted to open and close a passage of said initial flow collecting line;

a second clamp adapted to open and close a passage of said blood line between said blood collection needle and said second branched portion; and

a third clamp adapted to open and close a passage of said blood line between said first branched portion and said second branched portion.

4. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an anticoagulant supplying operation for supplying said anticoagulant from said anticoagulant feeding line toward said initial flow collecting line through said first branched portion and said second branched portion is performed by operating said supply means after said priming operation and said initial flow collecting operation are performed, whereby said air containing space is transferred from said blood line into said initial flow collecting line.

5. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the air containing space between said anticoagulant and said blood as measured along said blood line is smaller than the length of a portion of said initial flow collecting line between said second branched portion and said initial flow collecting bag.

6. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

at least a part of a portion of said blood line between said first branched portion and said second branched portion is comprised of a tube with a passage;

said tube is provided with a clamp adapted to open and close the passage inside said tube; and

a length of said tube is greater than Ld+30 mm, where Ld is the length of said clamp mounted on said tube as measured along said tube.

7. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said supply means is a liquid feed pump disposed in said anticoagulant feeding line.

8. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 1 , performing at least one cycle of a blood component collecting operation including a blood component collection step for separating said predetermined blood component from other blood components in said collected blood and collecting said predetermined blood component, and a blood component return step for returning the other blood components.

9. A blood component collection apparatus for separating blood from a donor so as to collect a predetermined blood component, comprising:

a blood collection needle for collecting blood from a donor;

a blood separator which separates said predetermined blood component from said blood collected by said blood collection needle;

a blood component collecting bag for collecting said predetermined blood component separated by said blood separator;

a blood line connecting said blood collection needle and an inflow port of said blood separator, said blood line being provided with a first branched portion and a second branched portion, said second branched portion being positioned between said blood collection needle and said first branched portion, and

an anticoagulant feeding line to feed an anticoagulant, the anticoagulant feeding line comprising one end branching from the first branched portion of the blood line;

an initial flow collecting line comprising one end branching from the second branched portion; and

the first and second branched portions of the blood line being spaced apart from one another along the blood line to provide an air space in the blood line between the anticoagulant and the blood in the blood line after a priming operation is performed in which the anticoagulant is supplied into the blood line through the anticoagulant feeding line and the first branched portion and after an initial flow collecting operation is performed in which the initial flow of the blood from the donor is supplied to the initial flow collecting line through the blood line and the second branched portion;

wherein an opposite end of the initial flow collecting line is connected to an initial flow collecting bag, the length of a portion of said blood line between said first branched portion and said second branched portion is smaller than the length of a portion of said initial flow collecting line between said second branched portion and said initial flow collecting bag.

10. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising detection means for detecting a liquid present in said blood line between said first branched portion and said blood separator.

11. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a clamp positioned along the blood line between the first and second branched portions to open and close the blood line.

12. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a clamp positioned along the blood line between the second branched portion and the blood collection needle to open and close the blood line.

13. The blood component collection apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a clamp positioned along the initial flow collecting line between the second branched portion and the initial flow collecting bag.