Anticoagulant and thrombo-resistant hollow fiber membranes for in-vivo plasmapheresis and ultrafiltration
First Claim
1. An in-vivo plasmapheresis or in-vivo ultrafiltration membrane comprising a plurality of elongated hollow microporous fibers each fiber having an outer wall, an inner wall and an interior lumen extending along the length thereof and defined by an inner wall surface, and wherein the fiber wall structure is a substantially continuous change in mass density from said outer wall to said inner wall and comprises a continuum of voids bounded by solid frames, said fiber wall having an asymmetrical pore size and asymmetrical mass density between said inner wall surface and the outer wall surface, said fiber wall having a higher mass density adjacent to the outer wall and a lower mass density adjacent to said inner wall, said fibers capable of separating blood plasma and toxins from whole blood within a blood vessel by passing the plasma and toxins through said fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the interior lumen, and a nitric oxide donor composition capable of generating or releasing nitric oxide or inducing nitric oxide production or release in-vivo within a blood vessel, distributed on or in said fiber wall.
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Abstract
An in-vivo plasmapheresis or in-vivo ultrafiltration membrane comprises a plurality of elongated hollow microporous fibers each fiber having an outer wall, an inner wall and an interior lumen extending along the length thereof and defined by an inner wall surface, and wherein the fiber wall structure is a substantially continuous change in mass density from the outer wall to the inner wall and comprises a continuum of voids bounded by solid frames, the fiber wall having an asymmetrical pore size and asymmetrical mass density between said inner wall surface and the outer wall surface with a higher mass density adjacent to the outer wall and a lower mass density adjacent to said inner wall, and characterized by a nitric oxide donor composition capable of producing or releasing nitric oxide or inducing nitric oxide production or release in-vivo with a blood vessel, distributed on or in the fiber wall.
31 Citations
39 Claims
- 1. An in-vivo plasmapheresis or in-vivo ultrafiltration membrane comprising a plurality of elongated hollow microporous fibers each fiber having an outer wall, an inner wall and an interior lumen extending along the length thereof and defined by an inner wall surface, and wherein the fiber wall structure is a substantially continuous change in mass density from said outer wall to said inner wall and comprises a continuum of voids bounded by solid frames, said fiber wall having an asymmetrical pore size and asymmetrical mass density between said inner wall surface and the outer wall surface, said fiber wall having a higher mass density adjacent to the outer wall and a lower mass density adjacent to said inner wall, said fibers capable of separating blood plasma and toxins from whole blood within a blood vessel by passing the plasma and toxins through said fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the interior lumen, and a nitric oxide donor composition capable of generating or releasing nitric oxide or inducing nitric oxide production or release in-vivo within a blood vessel, distributed on or in said fiber wall.
- 33. A filter device for carrying out in-vivo plasma separation comprising one or more elongated hollow tubes and a plurality of elongated hollow microporous fibers each fiber having an outer wall, an inner wall and an interior lumen extending along the length thereof and defined by an inner wall surface, the ends of each fiber secured to said one or more tubes whereby the interior lumen of each fiber communicates with the interior of the one or more tubes, and wherein the fiber wall structure is a substantially continuous change in mass density from said outer wall to said inner wall and comprises a continuum of voids bounded by solid frames, said fiber wall having an asymmetrical pore size and asymmetrical mass density between said inner wall surface and the outer wall surface said fiber wall having a higher mass density adjacent to the outer wall and a lower mass density adjacent to said inner wall, said fibers capable of separating blood plasma and toxins from whole blood within a blood vessel by passing the plasma and toxins through said fiber wall from the outer wall surface to the interior lumen, and a nitric oxide donor composition capable of generating or releasing nitric oxide or inducing nitric oxide production or release in-vivo within a blood vessel, distributed on or in said fiber wall.
Specification