Method and apparatus for treating whole blood

• US 4,540,492 A
• Filed: 12/20/1982
• Issued: 09/10/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Millipore Investment Holdings, Ltd. (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Kessler, Stephen B.
• Primary Examiner(s): SPEAR JR, FRANK
• Application Number:
  US06/451,380
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 210/343, 210/651, 210/346, 210/321.1, 210/433.2, 210/456, 210/450, 210/321.3, 422/48
• US Class Current: 210/651
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/084 at least one flow duct intersecting the membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/085 specially adapted for two fluids in mass exchange flow

Abstract

Apparatus for oxygenating blood or for separating whole blood into a plasma fraction and an enriched plasma-depleted blood fraction comprising at least two contiguous membrane units, each unit consisting of a first membrane layer, a second membrane layer, a first spacer layer and a second spacer layer. The membrane layers and the spacer layers are configured so that only plasma or oxygen passes through the membrane layers from or into whole blood. Plasma and plasma-deplected blood or oxygen-depleted gas and oxygenated blood are separately collected while preventing admixture thereof with whole blood.

Claims

1. Apparatus for treating whole blood to effect material transfer from or into the whole blood which comprises:

at least two contiguous membrane units, each unit consisting of a first membrane layer, a second membrane layer, a first spacer layer positioned on a first surface of the first membrane layer and a second spacer layer positioned between a second surface of said first membrane layer and a first surface of said second layer,

each of said membrane layers and said spacer layers being securely bonded over their entire mating surfaces,

said first spacer layer having a plurality of channels extending through the thickness of said first spacer layer, said channels having a width and length to permit continuous removal of whole blood from a patient for passage through said channels and continuous reintroduction of plasma depleted blood to the patient, each of said channels being between about 0.02 and 0.2 mm in height, inlet means for introducing whole blood into said channels and blood outlet means for removing treated blood from said channels,

said second spacer including means for introducing material into said whole blood or for removing material from said whole blood through said membrane layers,

sealing means associated with each of said first and second spacers for preventing whole blood from being admixed with material introduced into said whole blood without first passing said material through a membrane layer or for preventing whole blood from being admixed with blood from which a blood fraction has been removed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for collecting plasma and plasma-depleted whole blood from said membrane units and for introducing whole blood into said membrane units.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for introducing a free-oxygen containing gas into channels positioned within said second spacer, means for introducing whole blood into the channels of said first spacer, means for removing oxygenated blood from said membrane units and means for removing oxygen-depleted gas from said membrane units.

4. Apparatus for separating whole blood into a plasma fraction and an enriched, plasma-depleted blood fraction which comprises at least two contiguous membrane units, each unit consisting of a first membrane layer, a second membrane layer, a first spacer layer positioned on a first surface of the first membrane layer, and a second spacer layer positioned between a second surface of said first membrane layer and a first surface of said second membrane layer,

each of said membrane layers and said spacer layers being bonded over their entire mating surfaces,

said first spacer layer having a plurality of channels extending through the thickness of said first spacer layer, each of said channels being between about 0.02 and 0.2 mm in height, between 1 and 10 cm in length, cumulatively between about 20 and 100 cm in width, and individually between about 0.05 and 0.5 cm in width, inlet means for introducing whole blood into said channels, blood outlet means for removing blood depleted of plasma from said channel,

said second spacer including means connected to a plasma outlet adapted to collect plasma from said whole blood,

sealing means associated with each of said first and second spacers for preventing whole blood or plasma-depleted blood from passing into said plasma outlet,

and means for separately collecting plasma and plasma-depleted whole blood from said membrane units and for introducing whole blood into said membrane units.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the channels in said first spacer layer are each between about 0.06 and 0.12 mm in height.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the channels in said first spacer layer are each between about 4 and 6 cm in length.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the channels in said first spacer layer are each and between about 50 and 70 cm in cumulative width.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said second spacer include a plurality of parallel channels each directly connected to a plasma outlet.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the plurality of channels in said second spacer are connected to a passageway running perpendicular to said channels and said passageway is connected to said plasma outlet.

10. The process for treating whole blood to effect material transfer from or into the whole blood which comprises:

continuously introducing whole blood into first channels of a first spacer of a membrane unit, said first channels each between about 0.02 and 0.2 mm in height and extending through the thickness of said first spacer layer,

each of said membrane layers and said spacer layers being bonded over their entire mating surfaces,

said membrane unit consisting of a first membrane layer, a second membrane layer, said first spacer layer positioned on a first surface of the first membrane layer, and a second spacer layer positioned between a second surface of said first membrane layer as a first surface of said second layer,

continuously removing treated blood from said first channels,

effecting material transfer between said whole blood, through said membrane layers and from or into second channels in said second spacer,

removing material from said second channels through an outlet connected with said second channels,

and providing sealing means with each of said first and second spacers to prevent whole blood from being admixed with material introduced into said whole blood without first passing said material through a membrane layer or for preventing whole blood from being admixed with blood from which a blood fraction has been removed.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein a free-oxygen containing gas is introduced into the channels of said second spacer and wherein free oxygen is transferred into said blood within said first spacer.

12. The process of claim 10 wherein plasma is removed from said whole blood, through said membrane layers and into the second channels in said second spacer.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein the first channels have a length between about 1 and 10 cm, a cumulative width between about 20 and 100 cm and an individual width between about 0.05 and 0.5 cm.