Retention of Noble Gases in The Exhaled Air of Ventilated Patients By Membrane Separation

• US 20100031961A1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Klaus Schmidt
• Original Assignee: Klaus Schmidt
• Inventors: Schmidt, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 8,763,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/205.270
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/009 Removing used or expired gases or anaesthetic vapours filtering, sterilising or disinfecting the exhaust air in drainage systems A61M1/784; bacterial filters in the expiratory path A61M16/1065
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0093 by adsorption, absorption or filtration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/104 specially adapted for anaesthetics A61M16/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0291 Xenon
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/11 Noble gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4533 for medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/228 characterised by specific membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/021 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 23/0047 characterised by the membrane

Abstract

The processing of gas mixtures, in particular, of respiration gases for ventilated patients. The processing according to the invention relates, in particular, to the use of selective gas separation membranes for the retention of noble gases in the exhaled air of ventilated patients. The gas separation membrane is an active separator which is integrated in a ventilator. The separation membrane separates the noble gases from the remainder of the residual of the exhaled air by selectively retaining the noble gases. Thus, it is possible to provide a ventilator which enables the application of noble gases, in particular xenon, as an anesthetic preferably with low loss and as simple as possible.

Claims

1. Use of a gas separation membrane for recovery of noble gases contained in exhaled air of ventilated patients.

2. Use of claim 1, characterized in that the noble gas is selected from the group consisting of:

helium, neon, krypton, argon, xenon and mixtures thereof.

3. Use of claim 2, characterized in that the noble gas is xenon.

4. Use of claim 1, characterized in that the gas separation membrane is a microporous membrane.

5. Use of claim 4, characterized in that the gas separation membrane is a carbon molecular sieve membrane.

6. Use of claim 1, characterized in that the gas separation membrane is part of a ventilator.