Hollow fiber plasmapheresis process
First Claim
1. Improved method for plasmapheresis carried out in a system with a bundle consisting of a plurality of blood wettable porous membrane hollow fibers all of which are in parallel bundle alignment and have a substantially uniform membrane pore diameter and open inlet ends and open outlet ends, each fiber having a lumen diameter (D) no greater than 0.050 cm, the pore diameter being within the range 0.1 to 1.0 μ
- m, comprising;
(a) conducting blood in a forward direction into and through the fibers while maintaining a mean positive transmembrane pressure difference across the membranes from inlets to outlets of the hollow fibers;
(b) terminating the forward conducting of blood;
(c) conducting blood through the hollow fibers in the reverse direction;
(d) collecting plasma-depleted blood from the outlets of the hollow fibers;
(e) collecting plasma which has passed through the pores of the membranes; and
(f) repeating in sequence steps (a), (b) and (c) to collect additional plasma-depleted blood and plasma, the effective length, that is, the portion of each fiber, between the ends, through which plasma passes, of the hollow fibers being such that the L/D ratio is no greater than 16,400 cm-1 D (L and D being in centimeters) and the velocity of the blood in step (a) being such that the shear rate is 200 to 2500 sec-1, the improved method providing a plasma flux of at least 0.042 mL/min/cm2 and an outlet plasma-depleted blood hematocrit of at least 65%.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Hollow fiber plasmapheresis module and process, said module comprising hollow fibers having cell-retaining pores and an effective length (L) to lumen diameter (D) ratio L/D not greater than 16,400 cm-1 D (L and D being in centimeters) within a housing having a blood inlet for conducting blood to the fibers, an outlet for conducting exit (plasma-depleted) blood from the fibers, and a plasma outlet for conducting plasma out of the module.
72 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. Improved method for plasmapheresis carried out in a system with a bundle consisting of a plurality of blood wettable porous membrane hollow fibers all of which are in parallel bundle alignment and have a substantially uniform membrane pore diameter and open inlet ends and open outlet ends, each fiber having a lumen diameter (D) no greater than 0.050 cm, the pore diameter being within the range 0.1 to 1.0 μ
- m, comprising;
(a) conducting blood in a forward direction into and through the fibers while maintaining a mean positive transmembrane pressure difference across the membranes from inlets to outlets of the hollow fibers; (b) terminating the forward conducting of blood; (c) conducting blood through the hollow fibers in the reverse direction; (d) collecting plasma-depleted blood from the outlets of the hollow fibers; (e) collecting plasma which has passed through the pores of the membranes; and (f) repeating in sequence steps (a), (b) and (c) to collect additional plasma-depleted blood and plasma, the effective length, that is, the portion of each fiber, between the ends, through which plasma passes, of the hollow fibers being such that the L/D ratio is no greater than 16,400 cm-1 D (L and D being in centimeters) and the velocity of the blood in step (a) being such that the shear rate is 200 to 2500 sec-1, the improved method providing a plasma flux of at least 0.042 mL/min/cm2 and an outlet plasma-depleted blood hematocrit of at least 65%. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- m, comprising;
Specification