Abstract: In a blood gas analyzer, a measurement liquid, advantageously high-purity water, is fed from a suitable vessel to a diffusion cell in which the measurement liquid is brought into contact via a diffusion membrane with the blood sample to be tested. When the gases dissolved in the sample have diffused through the membrane, the measurement liquid which has remained static in the diffusion cell is propelled into a measuring cell in which the value of an electrical quantity related to the pCO.sub.2 is determined. The measurement liquid is then fed to discharge. In a preferred embodiment, the measurement liquid is discharged into the vessel from which it has been initially withdrawn via passage through means for retaining ionic impurities.

Abstract: In a blood gas analyzer, a substantially oxygen-free measurement solution is fed through a measuring cell as far as a diffusion cell in which the measurement solution is brought into contact with a blood sample to be tested. The gases dissolved in the blood sample diffuse through a membrane in the diffusion cell into the solution. The measurement solution is then propelled in the reverse direction to feed into the measuring cell. In the measuring cell, the measurement solution is electrochemically measured to determine a value which is related to the partial pressure of oxygen (pO.sub.2) in the sample.

Abstract: A pre-determined amount of solubilized reagent is reacted to release CO.sub.2 in a controlled-temperature reaction vessel and a controlled-pressure area adjacent the reaction vessel.

Abstract: A heating and temperature-control device for biological sample containers includes an assembly of lamps emitting infrared radiation within a wavelength of 1-5.5 micrometers and heating said containers by irradiation, and a sensor for infrared radiation of wavelength 7-14 micrometers which picks up the emission from the containers which derives from their heating. The signal obtained from said sensor is used to control the lamp emission in such a manner as to obtain the required container temperature and then keep it constant.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell for measuring the activity of one or more ionic species such as pNa, pK, pCa, pNH.sub.4, pCl etc. consisting of two sensors selective to the actual ionic species, one of which is used as the reference electrode and the other as the measurement electrode.The two sensors are chosen preferably identical.The electrode used as the reference electrode is brought into contact with a solution of known ionic activity and an ionic strength which is greater, equal to or substantially greater than that of the unknown solution to be measured.The measurement electrode is brought into contact with the unknown solution to be measured, while a third electrode is used purely for instrumental reasons and does not participate in the measurement.

Abstract: In a single-use device for collecting and holding blood samples, provision is made for an evacuated tube with a closure (stopper) that can be pierced by the tip of a needle, the other tip of which is intended to be inserted into a vein of a patient. Disposed below the said pierceable stopper, and in the tube, is a diaphragm intended to passed through by the needle-tip that pierces the stopper, so as to form a supplementar barrier between the interior of the tube and the environment when the pierceable stopper is removed.

Abstract: An instrument for measuring coagulation parameters is provided in which plasma and at least one reagent are mixed by spinning in a cuvette with transparent windows and in which measurement is then made of scatter by the mixture of the energy of a light beam sent into the mixture.Upon spin, the plasma components and reagent are displaced into the chamber, thus determining the initiation of the presence of the mixture in which the clot forms, and a photodetecting unit senses the change in the energy of the scattered light, caused by clot formation.

Abstract: In an analytical photometer, in particular multi-channel, for the simultaneous analysis of a multiplicity of samples, the light source provided is a flash tube for producing light pulses in which a permanent preionization discharge is maintained and the light energy is derived by optical fibres to be sent to optical systems where the beam is divided into an analysis beam which travels through the sample and a reference beam, both finally delivered to photodetectors. Both the divided beams pass through identical filtering systems for selection of a narrow spectral band of relevance for analytical purposes.

Abstract: A centrifugal analyzer has a support for receiving a multicuvette rotor that defines a circumferential array of cuvettes, the analysis regions of the rotor being disposed circumferentially about the periphery of the support when the rotor is on the support. The rotor support is driven in rotation to subject the cuvettes to centrifugal force to position reaction products in respective analysis regions of the cuvettes for analysis, all of the analysis regions being moved along a fixed circular path as the drive means drives the rotor support.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining calcium ion content of serum which comprises calibrating a potentiometric analytical system with calcium standards having a solution containing both TRIS and BisTRIS at a pH of 7.5. The serum sample is diluted with a silicone oil/water emulsion which may further contain a protein complexing agent such as iron, zinc, cadmium, nickel or copper. Measurement is then carried out on the diluted serum sample.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell is provided with plural identical selective electrodes and at least one chemical reactor for the indirect measurement of clinical-chemical parameters. The electrodes are ion-selective for the same ionic species or gas-selective for the same gaseous species. One of the two electrodes can be used as a measuring electrode and the other as a reference electrode. In the case of gas-selective electrodes, the reference electrode can be selective for a different ionic species. A third electrode with just electrical conducting properties can be provided. The chemical reactor can utilize immobilized enzymes, or immobilized substrates, or ion exchange resins, and is preferably connected to the measuring electrode only. Two fluidic paths may be provided in the electrochemical cell, as well as one input and two outputs, or two inputs and just one output in sequence.

Abstract: Instrument for analyzing, by means of photometric measurements, precisely metered quantities of samples, such as serum, plasma, cerebro-spinal liquid and the like, homogeneously diluted in selectively prechosen reagents.