there are a number of critical features that are missing from the available commercialized carts that make them inadequate and incapable of performing the functions of the claimed invention . one embodiment of the claimed invention provides a number of features , such as storage bins or electrical charging stations , already found on existing medically - oriented carts . additionally , the inventive work station enables processing of patient - derived materials in a manner that is fully compliant with all fda , hippa and hospital standards for ensuring the safety and privacy of the patient health information of the patient being treated . an embodiment of the invention provides a computer interface and a user interface that is tailored to control all aspects of the processing of patient - derived materials , including remote control of instruments that are needed during the processing , logging and tracking of patient health information , recording of lot numbers of materials used during the process , status updates on the instrumentation , billing and inventory control will be accomplished by a two - way communications capability , and the issuance of reports to individuals remote to the “ point - of - care ” ( poc ) site or to persons who will review the reports at a later time than during the poc procedure . the ability to issue reports incorporating information gathered from procedures controlled by and performed at the inventive work station is a point of novelty of the claimed invention . in order to provide controlled and safe procedures when working with patient - derived materials at poc , it is necessary to support a number of disparate functions and capabilities , including data entry , remote control and monitoring of instrumentation , creation of reports , providing a work surface , storage of critical components , bar coding and two - way communication capabilities . the primary function of the work station is to facilitate the processing of patient - derived materials . consequently , in one embodiment , the work station will incorporate appropriate features and capabilities as follows : a work - surface tailored to patient - derived materials handling and processing ; a work - surface that slides to expose tools to facilitate processing when needed , but can slide back and be locked to protect these tools when not in use ; storage options tailored to the processing ; a computer interface that controls key functions ( remotely programs , monitors and provides real - time status updates on instrumentation present elsewhere in the facility , and the charging status of any devices needed during the processing , among other functions ); a user interface based on the computer and communications capability of the work station that securely can record data ( i . e ., operator id , date / time , location , procedure , barcoded information specific to the patient and the procedure , including identification of instrumentation and other components used during the process ); communications capability for 2 - way remote interaction ( physician with remotely - located expert , medical personnel at poc with remotely - located expert ); the capability to provide data for procedure billing , procedure - related data ( i . e ., lot numbers for inventory control ), and patient material - dependent outcomes ( i . e ., if bone marrow aspirate is part of the procedure , then total nucleated cells obtained and their viability , among other parameters ). in addition to the foregoing features , capabilities and functionality of the inventive work station , the work station will also provide personnel at poc with access to background information on the procedures to be performed , technical videos and other patient - or procedure - dependent supporting information . fig1 shows a conceptual rendering of an embodiment of the inventive work station described herein , showing some of the features and capabilities of the work station . the work station 10 contains a storage space 1 for the storage disposable items such as gloves and syringes . the work station 10 also contains space 2 that is capable of holding one or more charging station ( s ) for electrical and electronic devices . the workstation also contains a touchscreen computer with user interface 3 for integrated control of remote instrumentation . the touch screen 3 can be closed to provide a work surface for the handling and processing of patient - derived materials . in certain embodiments , the space 2 of work station 10 comprises a work surface that slides to expose a space for the storage of tools . the touch screen computer 3 allows the point - of - care personnel to perform secure exchange of patient data and information regarding the procedures to be performed . in another embodiment , the inventive work station will include the physical means of processing the patient samples within the housing of the work station . the work station is of a dimension to accommodate a centrifuge and fluid handling tubing , syringes and pumps . the instrumentation disclosed herein consists of a portable platform element of the work station , which houses one or more centrifuges that are controlled by the ui of the work station and which communicate with an interactive onboard computer . the associated sterile , disposable device that will receive the patient &# 39 ; s sample will be capable of handling a variety of biological fluids , including fluid - only fluid obtained from a subcutaneous adipose tissue depot , lipoaspirate fluid , bone marrow aspirate , and blood . the processing of the patient &# 39 ; s samples will be determined and programmed at the ui and not at the centrifuge itself . the output concentrated patient cell preparation and by - products of the processing sequence will be moved to appropriate secondary collection containers or additional instrumentation with or without manual intervention . in one embodiment , bone marrow aspirate will be processed yielding a concentrated cell preparation and a substantially cell free fluid referred to as “ platelet poor plasma ( ppp )”. the concentrated cell preparation can be mixed with the ppp or can be mixed with ppp that has been separately concentrated in a fiber - containing device in fluid communication with the original separation device . the fiber - containing device is capable of concentrating a variety of components found in plasma , including , but not limited to fibrinogen , prothrombin , fibronectin , alpha - 2 - macroglobulin , vegf , pdgf and other growth factors and proteins . in another embodiment , the patient sample will be placed directly in a fiber - containing device and the biological fluid will be reduced in volume by passing the cell - containing fluid back and forth through the lumen of the fibers . water , ions and some biological components will pass through the pores of the fibers , while larger biological components , including proteins , growth factors and cell particles ( e . g ., white blood cells , red blood cells , platelets , monocytes and neutrophils , among others ) will remain inside the luminal space of the fibers and once the volume has been reduced , the concentrated biological fluid can be recovered for therapeutic use . the use of direct volume reduction without the use of the centrifugal instrumentation is especially suited to the processing of biological preparations with reduced levels of red blood cells , including lipoaspirate fluid , fluid - only fluid from adipose depots and biological samples already processed in the centrifugal portion of the work station &# 39 ; s instrumentation . the work station is placed adjacent to or in the treatment room or operating room in such a way that it can remain stationary for the duration of the processing event . the sequence for processing a patient &# 39 ; s sample is initiated by the operator entering the appropriate user name and password in order to gain access to the user interface features and functions . depending on the nature of the procedure the operator will enter critical information , either on a virtual keyboard or via bar code entry or by both means . critical information will include sufficient patient health information so as to allow for billing and report generation to be completed , while maintaining confidentiality and the privacy of the patient . once the processing sequence details have been initiated , the operator supports the collection of the patient &# 39 ; s sample . for example , a bone marrow aspiration kit will be transferred to the sterile field or other appropriate physical location near the patient . once the patient &# 39 ; s sample has been collected and loaded into the appropriate sterile , single - use disposable device , the operator places the device in the centrifuge and initiates a centrifugation cycle . if the centrifuge is remote to the work station , the operator will remove the device from the treatment area and place the device in the remotely located centrifugation system . the centrifuge cycle will be initiated and the operator can return to the work station to perform additional processing and support activities . cycle progress will be monitored on the ui output screens , so the operator need not leave the patient treatment area if the sample is being processed remotely , until the cycle is completed . if remotely processed , the operator will recover the cycled device and any secondary containers of the patient &# 39 ; s therapeutic preparations and return to the work station . additional processing of the patient &# 39 ; s preparations can be performed at the work station , including concentrating ppp or other processing contemplated with the fiber - containing device . once the final therapeutic cell - containing or biological fluid - containing therapeutic preparation has been obtained , the preparation is transferred under direction of the physician in a manner so as to enable treatment of the patient . if requested by the physician , the operator can analyze a small retained volume of the patient &# 39 ; s sample and / or the concentrated therapeutic preparation for the number of nucleated cells , the viability of the cells present and other parameters appropriate to the sample analysis instrumentation that is located within the work station housing . report generation will be initiated at the completion of all support / processing activities , including an inventory report to be transmitted to a central location for inventory monitoring , and a sample analysis report to be provided to a central location , as well as being provided to the physician , his staff or other designated recipient . storage and transmittal of pertinent patient health information will be fully compliant with all applicable standards , including those required to meet hippa and fda standards for privacy . the work station is placed adjacent to or in the treatment room or operating room in such a way that it can remain stationary for the duration of the processing event . the sequence for processing a patient &# 39 ; s sample is initiated by the operator entering the appropriate user name and password in order to gain access to the user interface features and functions . depending on the nature of the procedure the operator will enter critical information , either on a virtual keyboard or via bar code entry or by both means . critical information will include sufficient patient health information so as to allow for billing and report generation to be completed , while maintaining confidentiality and the privacy of the patient . once the processing sequence details have been initiated , the operator supports the collection of the patient &# 39 ; s sample . for example , the tools and instrumentation ( e . g ., canulea ) for performing fluid - only sample collection will be transferred to the sterile field or other appropriate physical location near the patient . once the patient &# 39 ; s sample has been collected and loaded into the appropriate sterile , single - use fiber - containing device it is inserted into the processing platform on the work station in order to reduce the volume of the sample . volume reduction can be obtained by activating a manual processing sequence involving the passage of fluid through the lumen of the fibers in the device via attached syringes , or an automated sequence involving pneumatic motion of the syringes can be utilized . water , ions and some biological materials will pass through the pores of the fibers , while cells , including white blood cells , red blood cells , platelets , neutrophils , mononuclear cells and progenitor cells , along with biologically relevant proteins and growth factors will be retained with the lumen of the fibers . once volume reduction of the patient &# 39 ; s sample has been achieved , the luminal compartment is accessed to recover the patient &# 39 ; s therapeutic biological preparation . once the final therapeutic cell - containing or biological fluid - containing therapeutic preparation has been obtained , the preparation is transferred under direction of the physician in a manner so as to enable treatment of the patient . if requested by the physician , the operator can analyze a small retained volume of the concentrated therapeutic preparation for the number of nucleated cells , the viability of the cells present and other parameters appropriate to the sample analysis instrumentation that is located within the work station housing . report generation will be initiated at the completion of all support / processing activities , including an inventory report to be transmitted to a central location for inventory monitoring , and a sample analysis report to be provided to a central location , as well as being provided to the physician , his staff or other designated recipient . storage and transmittal of pertinent patient health information will be fully compliant with all applicable standards , including those required to meet hippa and fda standards for privacy . results of the cell concentration and viability of fluid - only patient samples after processing in a fiber - containing device is shown in table 1 . the cell analysis was performed with a nucleocounter ( chemometec , inc .) and consists of two cartridges loading with a small aliquot of the cell preparation , either before processing or after processing . as indicated , the change in viability of the samples processed in the fiber - containing device was less than 10 %, indicating that the physical process of flow through the lumen of the fibers did not cause a substantial change in viability , despite the shear forces being experienced by the cells as they flow through the fibers . table 1 shows the total nucleated cell ( tnc ) concentration in bone marrow aspirate ( bma ) and bone marrow concentrate ( bmc ) after processing in a disposable device and centrifuge system with corresponding fold increase over bma and viability at 24 hour analysis time point . in the preceding detailed description , the invention is described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof and locations of use within the spine . various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense .
the invention is directed to a work station for use in performing processing of patient samples , storing equipment and drugs in a hospital and the like , the cart having a lower housing having caster wheels mounted on the bottom thereof , the lower housing having angular - shaped side panels therearound which may be opened for entrance into all sides of the housing , and one or more of the side panels ; an upper housing mounted on top of the lower housing , the upper housing having one or more side panels therearound ; and one or more work areas mounted on top of the upper housing , the shelf adapted for receiving point - of - care equipment .