Implantable artificial kidney

• US 5,092,886 A
• Filed: 03/26/1990
• Issued: 03/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matyas Dobos-Hardy
• Original Assignee: Matyas Dobos-Hardy
• Inventors: Dobos-Hardy, Matyas
• Primary Examiner(s): Isabella, David J.
• Application Number:
  US07/466,284
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 623/11, 623/12, 604/4, 604/5
• US Class Current: 623/23.65
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/022 Artificial gland structures using bioreactors hemodialysis A61M1/16; hemofiltration A61M1/34; other extracorporeal blood treatment A61M1/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1678 intracorporal peritoneal dialysis A61M1/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/34 Filtering material out of the blood by passing it through a membrane, i.e. hemofiltration or diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3496 Plasmapheresis; Leucopheresis; Lymphopheresis A61M1/3472 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to an artificial kidney having a blood inlet for connection to the renal artery of the living human organism and a blood outlet for connection fot the renal vein of the living human organism, where the blood tubes of the glomerulus of the artificial kidney that connect to the blood inlet are separated from the filtrate tubes by a permeable porous wall allowing ultra-filtration therethrough.

The artificial kidney according to the invention has an outer cover having a size and shape in accordance with that of the kidney of the living human organism, and said cover contains filtrate tubes in the tubules under the glomerulus and said tubes connect to the filtrate tubes of the glomerulus; the blood tubes of the tubules are separated from the filtrate tubes by a porous wall acting as an ultra filter; and the outlet of the filtrate tubes of the tubules is the urine outlet of the artificial kidney, whch can be connected to the ureter of the living human organism.

Claims

1. An implantable artificial kidney, comprising:

an outer cover having a shape of a natural kidney and formed with a lobe for affixing the artificial kidney in a living human body;

a blood inlet leading into said cover and connectable to a renal artery of the living human body;

a blood outlet leading from said cover and connecting to a renal vein of the living human body;

a urine outlet leading from said cover and connectable to a ureter of the living human body;

a glomerulus in said cover formed with a plurality of convolutions of an inner blood tube surrounded by an outer filtrate tube and separated therefrom over a collective length of said inner blood tube and said outer filtrate tube by a permeable wall of said inner blood tube forming an ultrafilter permitting filtration of an aqueous component of blood traversing said inner blood tube and dissolved substances in said aqueous component, said inner blood tube being connected at one end to said blood inlet and having an opposite end; and

a tubule system below said glomerulus in said cover and having a plurality of convolutions of an inner filtrate tube connected at a cross-over point to said outer filtrate tube and an outer blood tube surrounding said inner filtrate tube and connected at said cross-over point to said opposite end of said inner blood tube, said outer blood tube and said inner filtrate tube being separated by a porous wall permitting oncotic pressure to effect passage of a major portion of water from said inner filtrate tube into said outer blood tube, said outer blood tube being connected to said blood outlet and said inner filtrate tube being connected to said urine outlet, said outer tubes having impermeable outer walls.

2. The implantable artificial kidney defined in claim 1, further comprising a control valve in said inlet forming a back-pressure valve maximizing blood pressure in said inlet.

3. The implantable artificial kidney defined in claim 1 fabricated at least in part of silicone rubber.

4. The implantable artificial kidney defined in claim 1 wherein said cover is composed of polytetrafluoroethylene.

5. The implantable artificial kidney defined in claim 1 wherein said permeable and porous walls are composed of polyurethane.