Means for compressing tubes and the like

摘要

A device ( 10 ) for stripping fluid from a tube ( 40 ) is provided that is of use in stripping blood from bloodlines after the collection of blood from donors. The device is preferably hand-held and battery-powered, having a fixed driven roller ( 18 ), a moveable idle roller ( 20 ) and a tube guide ( 22 ) extending cantilever-fashion from one end thereof. The idle roller ( 20 ) can be moved toward the fixed and driven roller ( 18 ) to form a nip therebetween which pinches the tube ( 40 ) and draws it through the nip when the driven roller ( 18 ) is rotated. Idle roller ( 20 ) is moveable in a slot ( 50 ) and in direction which is never coplanar with the plane (Y) that contains the axes of the rollers ( 18 & 20 ). The angle theta between the direction of movement of the idle roller ( 20 ) and the plane (Y) containing the axes of the rollers when the nip is formed can vary between about 30 and 90 degrees.