Oxygenator and method for manufacturing the same
AssigneeTerumo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsRyuji Hiraguchi, Akira Gyoten
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a method for manufacturing an oxygenator, an intermediate spacer is disposed between a cylindrical heat exchange unit configured by winding a first hollow fiber membrane and a cylindrical gas exchange unit configured by winding a second hollow fiber membrane so that a first gap is formed between one end portions of the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit, and a first partition section of a first cover member is inserted into the first gap. In such an oxygenator, a first end portion of the intermediate spacer is located at a part that does not overlap the first partition section in a radial direction in the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit. The intermediate spacer is formed by winding an intermediate hollow fiber membrane.
Claims11
An oxygenator comprising:
- a housing;
- a cylindrical heat exchange unit comprised of a first hollow fiber membrane;
- a cylindrical gas exchange unit comprised of a second hollow fiber membrane, wherein the first hollow fiber membrane and the second hollow fiber membrane are wound and are accommodated in the housing, wherein the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit overlap each other in a radial direction so that a blood flow path is formed on an outer side of the first hollow fiber membrane and an outer side of the second hollow fiber membrane, and wherein the housing includes a pair of partition sections that partition each of spaces on both sides in an axial direction from the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit into a heat medium flow path and a gas flow path;
- and
- a cylindrical intermediate spacer arranged between the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit by winding an intermediate hollow fiber membrane, wherein at least one end portion of the intermediate spacer is located at a region that does not overlap the partition section in the radial direction in the end portions of the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit;
- wherein the partition sections are each inserted in respective gaps between end portions of the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit, and wherein the partition sections are axially shifted from the intermediate spacer.
A method for manufacturing an oxygenator including a heat exchange unit and a gas exchange unit that are disposed to overlap each other in a radial direction, the method comprising the steps of:
- a first winding step of forming a first cylindrical unit by winding a first hollow fiber membrane on an outer surface of a core;
- an arrangement step of arranging a cylindrical intermediate spacer by winding an intermediate hollow fiber membrane around an outer surface of the first cylindrical unit;
- a second winding step of forming a second cylindrical unit by winding a second hollow fiber membrane around an outer surface of the intermediate spacer;
- an outer cylinder disposition step of disposing an outer cylinder so as to cover an outer surface of the second cylindrical unit;
- a cutting step of forming the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit by cutting both axial end portions of the first cylindrical unit and the second cylindrical unit;
- a sealing step of sealing outer sides of the first hollow fiber membrane and the second hollow fiber membrane at both end portions of the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit with a sealing member;
- and
- a mounting step of mounting cover members on both end portions of the core and the outer cylinder and forming a heat medium flow path and a gas flow path in the respective cover members;
- wherein the intermediate spacer is arranged on the outer surface of the first cylindrical unit so that a gap is formed at least between one end portions of the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit or between the other end portions of the heat exchange unit and the gas exchange unit when performing the mounting step in the arrangement step;
- and
- wherein a partition section of the cover member is inserted into the gap formed by the intermediate spacer in the mounting step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.