An Embolating Apparatus for the Collection of Multiple Samples of Systemic and Hypophysial Portal Blood1

An apparatus, called an embolator, was designed, and its details together with tests conducted to demonstrate its efficacy are presented here. The embolator consists of two units, a timer and a fractionator, and operates by introducing air bubbles in a controlled fashion into tubing collecting systemic or hypophysial portal blood. The air bubbles separate the blood into multiple, discrete segments. Experiments under both in vitro and in vivo conditions demonstrate that the embolator can be used to prevent mixing between aliquots during a prolonged, continuous collection of blood. (Endocrinology 94: 864, 1974)