Systems and methods for ex-vivo organ care

• US 20060160204A1
• Filed: 10/07/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TransMedics, Inc. (TransMedics Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TransMedics, Inc. (TransMedics Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rourke, Joan, Menn, Dmitri, Kyi, Stanley, Hassanein, Waleed, Carpenter, David, Goff, Larry, Bringham, Richard, Fishman, Robert, Havner, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,585,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/284.100
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/02 Preservation of living parts
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0226 Physiologically active agents, i.e. substances affecting physiological processes of cells and tissue to be preserved, e.g. anti-oxidants or nutrients
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0242 Apparatuses, i.e. devices used in the process of preservation of living parts, such as pumps, refrigeration devices or any other devices featuring moving parts and/or temperature controlling components
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0247 for perfusion, i.e. for circulating fluid through organs, blood vessels or other living parts

Abstract

The invention provides, in various embodiments, systems, devices and methods relating to ex-vivo organ care. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to maintaining an organ ex-vivo at near-physiologic conditions.

Claims

1. A pump interface assembly for interfacing with a pump driver, the interface assembly comprising,

a housing including an exterior side and an interior side,

a first deformable membrane in fluid tight interconnection with the interior side of the housing to form a chamber between an interior side of the deformable membrane and the interior side of the housing,

a fluid inlet for receiving an organ perfusion fluid and for providing the fluid into the chamber, and

a fluid outlet for expelling the organ perfusion fluid out of the chamber toward an organ chamber in an organ preservation system in response to a pump driver deforming the first deformable membrane in a direction toward the interior side of the housing.

2. The pump interface assembly of claim 1 including a bracket for fitting over a periphery of the first deformable membrane to form a fluid tight seal between the a periphery of the interior side of the deformable membrane and a periphery of the interior side of the housing.

3. The pump interface assembly of claim 1 including a gasket for providing a fluid tight interconnection with the pump driver.

4. The pump interface assembly of claim 1 wherein the fluid outlet is a one way fluid outlet.

5. The pump interface assembly of claim 4, wherein the one way fluid outlet includes a ball valve assembly oriented to close in response to the pump driver moving in a direction away from the interior surface of the housing, and oriented to open to expel the organ perfusion fluid through the fluid outlet in response to the pump driver moving in a direction to deform the first deformable membrane toward the interior side of the housing.

6. The pump interface assembly of claim 1 including a plurality of projections out of the exterior side of the housing sized and shaped for engaging with and abutting one or more surfaces to force the housing in a direction toward a pump driver assembly to form a fluid tight seal with the pump driver assembly.

7. The pump interface assembly of claim 1 comprising a second deformable membrane mounted adjacent to the first deformable membrane to provide a fault tolerant seal in case the first deformable membrane fails.

8. The pump interface assembly of claim 1, wherein the pump interface assembly is formed at least in part from a polycarbonate.

9. The pump interface assembly of claim 1, wherein the pump interface assembly is a single use disposable assembly.

10. The pump interface assembly of claim 1, wherein the fluid inlet is sized, shaped and oriented for receiving a gravity feed of the perfusion fluid.

11. An organ preservation system comprising,

a pump including a pump driver for circulating a perfusion solution to an organ;

and

a pump interface assembly for interfacing with the pump driver, the interface assembly including,

a housing having an exterior side and an interior side,

a first deformable membrane in fluid tight interconnection with the interior side of the housing to form a chamber between an interior side of the deformable membrane and the interior side of the housing and for isolating the pump driver from the perfusion fluid,

a fluid inlet for receiving a perfusion fluid and for providing the fluid into the chamber, and

a fluid outlet for expelling the organ perfusion fluid out of the chamber toward an organ chamber in an organ preservation system in response to a pump driver deforming the deformable membrane in a direction toward the interior side of the housing.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the pump interface assembly includes a bracket for fitting over a periphery of the first deformable membrane to form a fluid tight seal between a periphery of the interior side of the deformable membrane and a periphery of the interior side of the housing.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the pump interface assembly includes a gasket for providing a fluid tight interconnection with the pump driver.

14. The pump interface assembly of claim 11 wherein the fluid outlet is a one way fluid outlet.

15. The pump interface assembly of claim 14, wherein the one way fluid outlet includes a ball valve assembly oriented to close in response to the pump driver moving in a direction away from the interior surface of the housing, and oriented to open to expel the organ perfusion fluid through the fluid outlet in response to the pump driver moving in a direction to deform the first deformable membrane toward the interior side of the housing.

16. The pump interface assembly of claim 11 including a plurality of projections out of the exterior side of the housing sized and shaped for engaging with and abutting one or more surfaces to force the housing in a direction toward a pump driver assembly to form a fluid tight seal with the pump driver assembly.

17. The pump interface assembly of claim 11 comprising a second deformable membrane mounted adjacent to the first deformable membrane to provide a fault tolerant seal in case the first deformable membrane fails.

18. The pump interface assembly of claim 11, wherein the pump interface assembly is formed at least in part from a polycarbonate.

19. The pump interface assembly of claim 11, wherein the pump interface assembly is a single use disposable assembly.

20. The pump interface assembly of claim 11, wherein the fluid inlet is sized, shaped and oriented for receiving a gravity feed of the perfusion fluid.