Method and apparatus for patient fluid management
First Claim
1. Apparatus for carrying out patient fluid management comprising:
- an implantable filter device comprising one or more elongated hollow tubes and a plurality of elongated microporous fibers having an interior lumen extending along the length thereof, each fiber having a first and second end secured to said one or more elongated hollow tubes, wherein the interior lumen of each of the fibers communicates with the interior of said one or more hollow tubes, and wherein each of the elongated microporous fibers have an asymmetrical fiber wall morphology between the inner wall surface extending along the interior fiber lumen and the outer wall surface, said fiber wall having a higher mass density zone adjacent to the outer wall surface and a lower mass density zone adjacent to the inner wall surface, said higher mass density zone having a smaller average nominal pore size than the average nominal pore size in the lower mass density zone and wherein said fibers are configured to separate plasma from whole blood in-vivo by passing plasma through said fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface and to said interior lumen thereof;
a multiple lumen catheter secured to the proximal end of the filter device having one or more lumens in fluid communication with the interior of said one or more hollow tubes and a plasma return lumen; and
ultrafiltration apparatus having a sieving coefficient cutoff between about 1×
104 and about 6×
104 daltons and configured to separate plasma water and selected plasma components having molecular weights below the sieving coefficient cutoff point from the separated plasma, and tubing for directing plasma between said catheter and the ultrafiltration apparatus.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Patient fluid management is carried out by separating plasma from whole blood in vivo via an implantable filter device comprising one or more elongated hollow tubes and a plurality of elongated microporous fibers having an interior lumen extending along the length thereof, each fiber having a first and second end secured to the one or more elongated hollow tubes by passing plasma through the fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface and to the interior fiber lumen, directing the separated plasma to an ultrafiltration apparatus having a sieving coefficient cutoff between about 1×104 and about 6∴104 daltons, separating plasma water and selected plasma components, from the separated plasma, and directing the treated plasma to the patient.
-
Citations
44 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for carrying out patient fluid management comprising:
-
an implantable filter device comprising one or more elongated hollow tubes and a plurality of elongated microporous fibers having an interior lumen extending along the length thereof, each fiber having a first and second end secured to said one or more elongated hollow tubes, wherein the interior lumen of each of the fibers communicates with the interior of said one or more hollow tubes, and wherein each of the elongated microporous fibers have an asymmetrical fiber wall morphology between the inner wall surface extending along the interior fiber lumen and the outer wall surface, said fiber wall having a higher mass density zone adjacent to the outer wall surface and a lower mass density zone adjacent to the inner wall surface, said higher mass density zone having a smaller average nominal pore size than the average nominal pore size in the lower mass density zone and wherein said fibers are configured to separate plasma from whole blood in-vivo by passing plasma through said fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface and to said interior lumen thereof;
a multiple lumen catheter secured to the proximal end of the filter device having one or more lumens in fluid communication with the interior of said one or more hollow tubes and a plasma return lumen; and
ultrafiltration apparatus having a sieving coefficient cutoff between about 1×
104 and about 6×
104 daltons and configured to separate plasma water and selected plasma components having molecular weights below the sieving coefficient cutoff point from the separated plasma, and tubing for directing plasma between said catheter and the ultrafiltration apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
-
-
27. A method of patient fluid management and/or treating patient fluid overload comprising:
-
separating plasma from whole blood in-vivo using a filter device comprising one or more elongated hollow tubes and a plurality of elongated microporous fibers having an interior lumen extending along the length thereof, each fiber having a first and second end secured to one or more of said elongated hollow tubes, wherein the interior lumen of each of the fibers communicates with the interior of one or more of the hollow tubes, and wherein the fiber wall morphology of each of the elongated microporous fibers is asymmetrical between the inner wall surface extending along the interior fiber lumen and the outer wall surface, said fiber wall having a higher mass density zone adjacent to the outer wall surface and a lower mass density zone adjacent to the inner wall surface, said higher mass density zone having a smaller average nominal pore size than the average nominal pore size in the lower mass density zone, and passing plasma through said fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface and to said interior lumen thereof, directing the separated plasma to an ultrafiltration apparatus having a sieving coefficient cutoff between about 1×
104 and about 6×
104 daltons and separating plasma water and selected plasma components having molecular weights at or below the sieving coefficient cutoff from said separated plasma; and
returning the treated plasma to the patient. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A method of patient fluid management and/or treating patient fluid overload comprising:
-
securing a plasma filter apparatus comprising a filter device in a blood vessel of a patient, said filter device comprising one or more elongated hollow tubes and a plurality of elongated microporous fibers having an interior lumen extending along the length thereof, each fiber having a first and second end secured to one or more of said elongated hollow tubes, wherein the interior lumen of each of the fibers communicates with the interior of one or more of the hollow tubes, and wherein the fiber wall morphology of each of the elongated microporous fibers is asymmetrical between the inner wall surface extending along the interior fiber lumen and the outer wall surface, said fiber wall having a higher mass density zone adjacent to the outer wall surface and a lower mass density zone adjacent to the inner wall surface, said higher mass density zone having a smaller average nominal pore size than the average nominal pore size in the lower mass density zone;
separating plasma from whole blood in-vivo by passing plasma through said fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface;
directing the separated plasma to an ultrafiltration apparatus having a sieving coefficient cutoff between about 1×
104 and about 6×
104 daltons and separating plasma water and selected plasma components having molecular weights at or below the sieving coefficient cutoff from said separated plasma; and
returning the treated plasma to the patient. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
-
Specification