BLOOD EXCHANGING APPARATUS AND PROCESS

• US 3,701,350 A
• Filed: 07/28/1970
• Issued: 10/31/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harvey C. Guenther
• Original Assignee: Harvey C. Guenther
• Inventors: Guenther, Harvey C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truluck, Dalton L.
• Application Number:
  US05/058,829
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 128/214R,214B,214F,214.2,234,218A,DIG.1,276,278,273,236 417/502,503,505,517
• US Class Current: 604/6.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/02 Blood transfusion apparatus blood infusion by syringes A61M5/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/63 with means for emptying the suction container, e.g. by interrupting suction
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/67 Containers incorporating a piston-type member to create suction, e.g. syringes cupping glasses A61M1/08; with a flexible member creating suction A61M1/68
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/772 operating alternately
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/01 Motorized syringe

Abstract

In a blood exchanging apparatus useful for automatically withdrawing deleterious blood from the body, discharging said blood, and supplying a like quantity of specified blood for infusion into the bloodstream of the body, a syringe is coupled to a valve that includes a series of ports that provide passage for accomplishment of the foregoing select blood transferring functions, with the plunger of said syringe connecting with a carriage that threadedly engages to a feed screw that may be selectively turned in either direction by means of a reversing motor, with the turning of said motor being reversible by means of the actuation of limit means or switches that are functionally disposed to said feed screw and operative through the movements of said carriage for effecting their select actuation and reversal of said motor and feed screw. The valve is also sequentially set to provide for the select movements of blood into or from the syringe, and to achieve this a gear means connecting to said valve is turned by means of a drive means, such as a rack and pinion, that are actuated by a solenoid which is regulated in its functioning by means of the aforesaid limit means or switches. In the process of exchanging of blood through the use of the aforesaid device, the passages of the valves are set to coordinate with the functioning of the plunger within the syringe, so that in its first setting blood may be withdrawn from the body, and then discharged through a second setting of said valve, with the valve then being adjusted to provide for the drawing of specified blood into said syringe which may then be infused into the bloodstream of the body through a final adjustment and setting of said valve. All of these functions are coordinated through the circuit relationship between the alternate movements of the syringe means by operation of the feed screw, which operations are changed through actuation of the switch means, which also signals the timed operation of the solenoid and its interconnected gear and valve means so that selective passages of said valve may be opened in sequence with the operations of said syringe.

Claims

1. In a blood exchanging apparatus for use in sequentially removing and discharging a quantity of deleterious blood fluid from the body, with the immediate supplying and infusing of an approximately equivalent quantity of medically specified blood fluid into the body comprising, a syringe means having a discharge end disposed for alternately drawing and ejecting a quantity of blood, valve means connecting with said syringe and operatively providing the regulation of fluid passage with respect to said syringe in the removing, discharging, supplying and infusing of said quantities of blood, a conduit connected to said valve means and adapted to be connected to the body communicating with the blood stream therein, said valve provided with a series of ports, a first port providing the means for connecting the conduit that provides for the removal and infusing of blood from and into the blood stream of the body, a second port providing for supplying for discharge of the removed blood, and a third port providing for supplying specified blood to the syringe means for its infusion into the body, drive means operatively engaging said syringe providing for its actuation during performance of the aforesaid sequence of blood handling functions, said valve means being selectively and timely changeable in its fluid passing settings in response to the operations of said means during its actuation of said syringe, said valve means comprising a casing having said series of ports integrally formed therewith, means for mounting said casing within the apparatus, said casing having an annular cavity formed therein, means for connecting the discharge end of the syringe to the casing side opposite the location of its formed cavity, therebeing a passage formed through said casing to provide communication between the syringe discharge end and into the casing cavity, therebeing a series of passages providing communication between said ports and opening into the casing cavity, a rotatable member disposed for periodic rotation within the casing cavity, said member forming a fluidic seal with the casing, therebeing a fluid passing groove formed upon the surface of the rotatable member disposed within the casing with said groove being in constant communication with the passage from the discharge end of the syringe, said groove capable of periodic arrangement in communication with one of said port passages, and indexing means operatively associated with said rotatable member and provided for interrupted rotation thereby furnishing pivotal movement to said rotatable member of the valve means, separate drive means upon actuation provided for functioning of said indexing means, and said separate drive means being responsive to the limits of movement of the means actuating the syringe during performance of the sequence of blood handling functions.

2. The blood exchanging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the valve means is removably mounted in the apparatus.

3. In a blood exchanging apparatus for use in sequentially removing and discharging a quantity of deleterious blood fluid from the body, with the immediate supplying and infusing of an approximately equivalent quantity of medically specified blood fluid into the body comprising, a syringe means having a discharge end disposed for alternatelY drawing and ejecting a quantity of blood, valve means connecting with said syringe and operatively providing the regulation of fluid passage with respect to said syringe in the removing, discharging, supplying and infusing of said quantities of blood, a conduit interconnecting between said valve means and the body communicating with the bloodstream therein, said valve provided with a series of ports, a first port providing the means for connecting the conduit that provides for the removal and infusing of blood from and into the bloodstream of the body, a second port providing for discharge of removed blood, and a third port providing for supplying specified blood to the syringe means for its infusion into the body, means operatively engaging said syringe providing for its actuation during performance of the aforesaid sequence of blood handling functions, said valve means being selectively and timely changeable in its fluid passing settings in response to the operations of said means during its actuation of said syringe, said valve means comprising a casing having the series of ports integrally formed therewith, means for mounting said casing within the apparatus, said casing having an annular cavity formed therein, means for connecting the discharge end of the syringe to the casing side opposite the location of its formed cavity, there being a passage formed through said casing to provide communication between the syringe discharge end and into the casing cavity, there being a series of passages providing communication between said ports and opening into the casing cavity, a rotatable member disposed for periodic rotation within the casing cavity, said member forming a fluidic seal with the casing, there being a fluid passing groove formed upon the surface of the rotatable member disposed within the casing with said groove being in constant communication with the passage from the discharge end of the syringe, said groove capable of periodic arrangement in communication with one of said port passages, gear means engaging said rotatable member and which upon turning providing for its rotation and the sequential functioning of the blood exchanging device, said gear means including a supporting frame, an indexing member engaging with said rotatable member and mounted for interrupted rotation upon said frame, a ratchet wheel supported by said frame for fixed rotation with respect to said indexing member, a camming member mounted for limited pivotal movement upon said frame and being disposed adjacent to said ratchet wheel, a latch pivotally connecting to said frame and arranged for mating engagement with said indexing member to interrupt its rotation, a follower bearing mounted to said latch and being in contact with said camming member, the pivoting of said cam providing for disengagement and engagement of said latch with said indexing member, a pawl being attached in restraint movement with respect to said camming member while being urged into engagement with said ratchet wheel, the pivoting of said camming member in one direction providing for the limited rotation of said indexing and rotatable members through the agency of said pawl, a detent attached in restraint movement with respect to said frame and engaging with said ratchet to prevent the turning of said indexing and rotatable members in the opposite direction, and drive means upon actuation providing for the limited pivotal movement of said camming member and pawl.

4. The invention of claim 3 and further including a pinion connecting to said camming member, said drive means including a solenoid responsive to the functioning of the means engaging and actuating said syringe, a rack operatively mounting to said solenoid and shiftable in response to the energization of said solenoid, said rack intergearing with said pinion and functioning to induce the periodic rotation of said rotatable member into the functional settings of said valve means for regulating the blood passage through the connecting syringe.

5. In the process of Automatically exchanging of deleterious blood fluid in the body with a like quantity of medically specified blood comprising connecting a syringe incorporating therein a longitudinally slidable plunger with a valve having a series of passages for alternately communicating with the bloodstream in the body, the discharging of withdrawn deleterious blood, and a supply of said specified blood to be infused into the body to replace the withdrawn blood, coupling said syringe plunger to a carriage that threadedly engages to a feed screw turned alternately in either direction through the agency of a reversible motor, arranging a pair of switch means for selective actuation at the preset limits of movement of said carriage in either direction upon said threaded feed screw, setting said valve to that passage that provides for communication with the bloodstream in the body, energizing said motor to effect a turning of said feed screw in a first direction for drawing of said plunger in the syringe to achieve a simultaneous withdrawal of a quantity of deleterious blood from the body, continuing the movement of said carriage upon the feed screw until the first of said switch means is actuated whereupon a drive means is energized to reset said valve to that passage providing for the discharge of withdrawn blood while the motor is simultaneously reversed to turn said feed screw and move said carriage and plunger in the opposite direction, continuing the movement of said carriage upon said feed screw in effecting discharge of said blood until the other switch means is actuated whereupon said drive means is initiated to reset said valve to that passage providing for a drawing of specified blood into the syringe while the motor is reversed to turn said feed screw and move said carriage and plunger again in the first direction, continuing the movement of said carriage upon the feed screw in the drawing of specified blood into the syringe until the first switch means is again actuated whereupon said drive means is initiated to reset said valve to that passage which communicates with the bloodstream in the body while the motor is simultaneously reversed to turn said feed screw and move said carriage and plunger again in the opposite direction to infuse the specified blood into the body, repeating the sequence of movements of said carriage upon said feed screw in alternate directions for repeated actuations of said switch means to continue the cycle of withdrawing, discharging, supplying and infusing blood from and into the body until a predetermined quantity of blood has been exchanged.