Automated means to remove air from venous blood during CPB
First Claim
1. An apparatus to trap and remove air bubbles in a venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said apparatus comprising;
- a) a blood chamber having an inlet, an outlet and an air venting port to remove air entering the blood chamber;
b) automated means to detect air in venous blood and provide a signal to alarm the user of the presence of air;
c) a suction means to remove air from the blood chamber;
wherein the alarm signal is used to automatically control the suction means to remove air from the venous blood in the blood chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Venous reservoirs are interposed between the patient and the arterial pump and serve to remove air bubbles and provide compliance that accommodates variations in the volume of blood circulating in the extracorporeal circuit during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The invention is a reservoir that incorporates automated means to remove air bubbles from the venous line prior to the blood entering the arterial blood pump. In another form, the reservoir includes means that handles foam prior to the blood entering the blood pump. In yet another form, the invention is means that improve air removal in a soft shell venous reservoir. These features are applicable to CPB circuits using gravity drainage or vacuum assisted venous drainage.
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Citations
66 Claims
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1. An apparatus to trap and remove air bubbles in a venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said apparatus comprising;
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a) a blood chamber having an inlet, an outlet and an air venting port to remove air entering the blood chamber; b) automated means to detect air in venous blood and provide a signal to alarm the user of the presence of air; c) a suction means to remove air from the blood chamber; wherein the alarm signal is used to automatically control the suction means to remove air from the venous blood in the blood chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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5. A method to trap and remove air bubbles in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said method comprising;
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a) detecting air in the venous side and providing a signal to alarm the user of the presence of air; b) removing air from a blood chamber in the venous side; and
automatically controlling a suction means to remove air from the venous side of the blood chamber. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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9. An apparatus to trap and remove air in the blood on the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said apparatus comprising:
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a) a blood chamber having an inlet and an outlet; b) an air purging port located for removing air entering the blood chamber; and c) suction means for automatically removing the air from the blood chamber; wherein a fluid path between the blood chamber and the suction means is unhindered by the blood. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 29)
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18. A method to trap and remove air bubbles from the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said method comprising:
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a) introducing venous blood into a closed blood chamber through an inlet; b) allowing the air from the venous blood to rise to the top of the blood chamber; c) providing a blood-to-air-interface in the blood chamber; d) automatically suctioning the air from the air side of the blood-to-air-interface. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 30, 66)
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23. An apparatus to trap and remove air bubbles in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said apparatus comprising:
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a) a blood chamber in the venous side having an inlet, an outlet, and an air purging port located at a top of the blood chamber and used to remove air entering the blood chamber; b) a suction source for removing the air at the top of the blood chamber; and c) a valve, placed between the top of the chamber and the suction source, said valve opening to remove air from the blood chamber and closing once air has been removed. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. A method for automatically removing air from venous blood during cardiopulmonary bypass comprising:
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a) having venous blood flow into a closed blood chamber through an inlet port, and out through an outlet port; b) maintaining a first blood level in the blood chamber; c) letting air in the venous blood rise to a portion of the blood chamber to displace the blood and lower the level of the blood from the first blood level; and d) applying controlled suction to automatically remove air from the portion of the blood chamber.
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26. An apparatus to trap and remove air in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said apparatus comprising;
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a) a blood chamber in the venous side having an inlet, an outlet and an air purging port located at a top of the blood chamber; b) a suction means to remove the air from the top of the blood chamber; and c) a valve placed between the top of the blood chamber and the suction means; wherein when air enters the top of the blood chamber, the valve automatically opens, applying suction to the top of the blood chamber and removing the air from the blood chamber. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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27. An apparatus to trap and remove air in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said apparatus comprising:
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a) a blood chamber in the venous side having a an inlet and an outlet; b) an air purging port located for removing air entering the blood chamber; c) suction means for automatically removing the air from the blood chamber; and d) a fluid path between blood in the blood chamber and the suction means having an inside diameter between 1/32″ and
1″
,wherein when air enters the top of the blood chamber, the suction means automatically apply suction to the top of the blood chamber and remove at least some of the air from the blood chamber.
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31. The combination of an apparatus to trap and remove air in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and a blood trap, said combination comprising:
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a) a blood chamber in the venous side having a an inlet and an outlet; b) an air purging port located for removing air entering the blood chamber; c) suction means for automatically removing the air from the blood chamber; and d) a blood trap interposed between the suction means and the air purging port; wherein blood that exits the air purging port is trapped by the blood trap and may be returned to the patient thereby reducing blood loss. - View Dependent Claims (32, 43)
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44. A method to continuously trap and automatically remove air in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, the method comprising:
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a. placing a blood chamber having a top, an inlet, an outlet and an air purging port in the venous side of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit; b. trapping venous air in the blood chamber; c. providing a suction means; and d. providing a mean that respond to air in the blood chamber said response resulting in the application of suction to the top of the blood chamber when air is present and stopping the suction when at least some air has been removed from the blood chamber; wherein the application and stopping of suction in response to air in the chamber automatically remove air in the venous side of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A method to trap and automatically remove air in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, the method comprising:
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a. having venous blood flow through a blood chamber having a top, an inlet, an outlet and an air purging port; b. providing a suction means; and c. applying suction to the top of the blood chamber when air is present in the blood chamber to remove air from the top of the chamber and stopping the suction when at least some of that air has been removed; wherein the application and removal of the suction in response to the air in the chamber automatically removes air in the venous side of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59)
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60. An apparatus to trap and automatically remove air in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, the apparatus comprising:
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a. a blood chamber that traps the air in the venous blood, said chamber having a top, an inlet, an outlet, an air purging port; b. a suction means connected to the air purging port; c. a mean that responds to the air in the blood chamber said response resulting in suction applied to the top of the blood chamber when air is present and stopping the suction when at least some of the air has been removed from the blood chamber; wherein the application and removal of the suction in response to the air in the chamber automatically remove air in the venous side of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A method to trap and remove air in the venous side of a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, said method comprising:
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a) providing a blood chamber having an inlet, an outlet, a top, and an air venting port to remove air entering the blood chamber and means that inhibit air entering the inlet of the chamber from reaching the outlet of the chamber; b) directing venous blood flow into the inlet of and out of the outlet of the blood chamber; c) providing a suction means to remove air from the blood chamber via the air venting port of the blood chamber; wherein the application and removal of the suction in response to the air in the chamber automatically remove air in the venous side of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit.
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Specification