Process for treating and/or removal of substances from liquid, especially whole blood
First Claim
1. A process for treating a liquid to remove a substance therefrom comprising the steps of providing a chamber including a microporous semi-permeable membrane filter, a first liquid containing said substance to be removed in direct contact with one side of said membrane filter, and a second fluid in direct contact with the other side of said membrane filter, wherein at least a portion of said first liquid containing said substance is capable of penetrating said membrane filter, wherein a substance removal agent is immobilized with regard to said membrane such that the substance removal agent contacts said penetrating portion of said first liquid but does not directly contact said first liquid itself, and wherein said substance removal agent is selected from the group consisting of material capable of adsorbing said substance, material capable of reacting biologically with said substance to remove said substance, and mixtures of such materials;
- withdrawing a portion of said second fluid from said chamber to create a first predetermined pressure for said second fluid below that of the first liquid; and
supplying said second fluid to said chamber to create a second predetermined pressure for said second fluid above that of the first liquid;
wherein said withdrawing and supplying steps cause said penetrating portion of said first liquid to flow in an alternating path in the pores of said membrane filter to effect contacting of said penetrating portion containing said substance with said substance removal agent.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A process for the treating of and/or removal of substances from a liquid, especially whole blood, via a semipermeable microporous membrane (13, 14, 15) through adsorption and/or biological reaction by means of a biologically active material. Said whole blood is exposed to pressure variations at the membrane surface in a way such that a penetrating fraction of said whole blood is flowing in an alternating flow path through the membrane walls for contacting said biologically active material.
Said biologically active material is asymmetrically immobilized in and on the surface of the side of said membrane that faces away from said whole blood. Alternatively, said biologically active material may be bound to an unsoluble matrix behind said membrane.
Said membrane is for example provided within a casing (7, 8, 9) comprising inlet (10) and outlet (11) for said whole blood. The space between said casing and said membrane is via a connecting nipple (12) in communication with for example an expansion chamber for the provision of pressure variations.
By means of the device (3) it is possible to perform said process in one and the same step and by means of one and the same pumping system.
34 Citations
34 Claims
-
1. A process for treating a liquid to remove a substance therefrom comprising the steps of providing a chamber including a microporous semi-permeable membrane filter, a first liquid containing said substance to be removed in direct contact with one side of said membrane filter, and a second fluid in direct contact with the other side of said membrane filter, wherein at least a portion of said first liquid containing said substance is capable of penetrating said membrane filter, wherein a substance removal agent is immobilized with regard to said membrane such that the substance removal agent contacts said penetrating portion of said first liquid but does not directly contact said first liquid itself, and wherein said substance removal agent is selected from the group consisting of material capable of adsorbing said substance, material capable of reacting biologically with said substance to remove said substance, and mixtures of such materials;
- withdrawing a portion of said second fluid from said chamber to create a first predetermined pressure for said second fluid below that of the first liquid; and
supplying said second fluid to said chamber to create a second predetermined pressure for said second fluid above that of the first liquid;
wherein said withdrawing and supplying steps cause said penetrating portion of said first liquid to flow in an alternating path in the pores of said membrane filter to effect contacting of said penetrating portion containing said substance with said substance removal agent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- withdrawing a portion of said second fluid from said chamber to create a first predetermined pressure for said second fluid below that of the first liquid; and
-
18. A device for treating a liquid to remove a substance from said liquid, said device comprising a chamber;
- a microporous semi-permeable membrane filter arranged in said chamber so that a first liquid containing said substance to be removed contacts one side and a second fluid contacts the other side of said microporous semi-permeable membrane filter, wherein said membrane filter is structured so that at least a portion of said first liquid containing said substance is capable of penetrating said membrane filter;
a substance removal agent in said chamber immobilized so that said substance removal agent cannot pass through said membrane filter so as to contact said first liquid but can contact said penetrating portion of said first liquid, wherein said substance removal agent is selected from the group consisting of material capable of adsorbing said substance, material capable of reacting biologically with said substance, and mixtures of such materials;
means for introducing said second fluid to said chamber so that said second fluid contacts the other side of said membrane filter;
means for alternately withdrawing said second fluid from and supplying said second fluid to said chamber so as to cause said penetrating portion of said first liquid to flow in an alternating path in the pores of said membrane filter to effect contacting of said penetrating portion containing said substance with said substance removal agent. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
- a microporous semi-permeable membrane filter arranged in said chamber so that a first liquid containing said substance to be removed contacts one side and a second fluid contacts the other side of said microporous semi-permeable membrane filter, wherein said membrane filter is structured so that at least a portion of said first liquid containing said substance is capable of penetrating said membrane filter;
Specification