Blood treatment device with moving membrane
First Claim
1. A method for affecting mass transfer between a fluid and blood, comprising the steps of:
- separating a flow of blood and a flow of fluid with a membrane;
moving an entirety of said membrane relative to at least one mass transfer boundary layer associated with at least one of the flow of blood and the flow of fluid in a direction which is substantially parallel with a primary direction of at least one of the flow of blood and the flow of fluid; and
transferring at least one component of at least one of the blood and the fluid through said membrane.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A medical device and method for affecting mass transfer between blood and a fluid. In one application, this mass transfer is an oxygenation of the blood. Generally, a membrane which separates the blood and fluid is moved in a predetermined manner and in a direction which is substantially parallel to that of the primary direction of the flow to augment the mass transfer efficiency/rate. Importantly, this movement of the membrane is relative to the blood mass transfer boundary layer which steepens or increases the oxygen concentration gradient and decreases the thickness of the blood mass transfer boundary layer and thereby improves upon the mass transfer efficiency/rate of oxygen into the blood.
71 Citations
40 Claims
-
1. A method for affecting mass transfer between a fluid and blood, comprising the steps of:
-
separating a flow of blood and a flow of fluid with a membrane; moving an entirety of said membrane relative to at least one mass transfer boundary layer associated with at least one of the flow of blood and the flow of fluid in a direction which is substantially parallel with a primary direction of at least one of the flow of blood and the flow of fluid; and transferring at least one component of at least one of the blood and the fluid through said membrane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 24)
-
-
12. A medical device for affecting mass transfer between blood and a fluid, comprising:
-
a housing; at least one membrane disposed within said housing and having first and second sides, said membrane being permeable with respect to at least one component of at least one of the blood and the fluid; a blood inlet fluidly interconnected with a space interfacing with said first side of said at least one membrane; a fluid inlet fluidly interconnected with a space interfacing with said second side of said at least one membrane; and means for moving an entirety of said membrane, in a direction which is substantially parallel with a primary direction of at least one of said flow of blood and said flow of fluid, relative to at least one mass transfer boundary layer. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
Specification