GB816023A - Apparatus for use in analyzing body fluids or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0816023/III/1> In apparatus for testing body fluids and other liquids, the fluid is submitted to dialysis, the dialysed liquid is mixed with a processing fluid which develops colour and the resulting coloured liquid is examined in a colorimeter. The liquid under test enters a tube 13 and is fed by a proportionating pump 11 together with a primary processing liquid entering tube 15 and air at 17 into a tube 20. The tubes are flexible and the pump includes a number of moving rollers acting on the tubes so that the liquid mixture is formed into segments of liquid with intervening air spaces, as described in Specification 774,711 The segmented liquid passes directly or through a low-temperature bath 32 to a dialyser 18, having a membrane 25 against which is fed segments of a second processing solvent flowing through a tube 38. The crystalloid content of the test liquid passes through the membrane and dissolves in the second solvent, and the resulting coloured segments flow through a water bath 46 and a tube 50 to a vertical tube 80 provided with an inlet nipple 82, and output spout 84 leading to a conduit 86. The nipple 82 which may also be in the form of a projection, causes the liquid segments to coalesce into a continuous stream and any trapped air or other gases are released. The coloured liquid is finally examined in a flow cell 58 of a colorimeter. The inclined tube 86 is of a flexible material, so that the feeding tube 80 can be raised or lowered to promote a uniform flow of the coloured liquid. The apparatus may be used to estimate the presence of glucose or urea in body fluids.