Microcentrifuge

Technical file

Type of innovation: Device
Scope: Clinical Analysis
Innovation leader: Grifols i Lucas, Víctor
Year: 1968
Period: 1909-1971
Geographical scope: Spain
Economic impact: Low
Level of innovation: Evolutionary
Patent: No
Interdisciplinary connections: -

In the 1950s, once the ABO blood group system and the existence of the Rhesus factor had been established, the idea of systematic blood testing gained traction. A few years later, it became an indispensable and routine practice prior to any type of blood transfusion.

Centrifuging the test solution to separate out the coagulated element from the liquid fraction was a vital part of the testing procedure. At the time, home transfusions were still common in Spain, so the less bulky the equipment needed for testing, the better.

The same job, but smaller

Realizing there was a need for a compact piece of equipment to do the job, Víctor Grifols i Lucas designed his microcentrifuge in 1968. As well as shrinking down its weight and footprint, the microcentrifuge had other practical features, such as a space for four hemolysis tubes. It was accompanied by templates that acted as a "recipe" to cross-test correctly and avoid errors.

Thanks to the commercial partnership with the American Hospital Supply Corporation, the equipment gained popularity outside Spain, too. In fact, at the request of UNESCO, Grifols manufactured some microcentrifuges that could be powered by the cigarette lighter socket of a car so that blood tests and cross-tests could be carried out in campaigns in Africa.