Blood purification
OwnerClara M. Ambrus, Csaba Horvathinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Extracorporeal apparatus for selective removal of pathogenic factors, i.e. antigens, from blood by circulating the blood through hollow fibers which, exterior to the lumen are in proximity to antibodies, i.e. proteins having strong biospecific activity for the pathogenic factors. In some situations, the antibody is segregated in a liquid medium outside the hollow fiber to improve mass transfer and the antigen penetrates the ultrafilter wall of the fiber to join the antibody.
Claims20
Apparatus for removing selected antigens from a physiological fluid comprising an anisotropic membrane surface of the type having a retentive skin side and a porous substrate exterior side and forming a diffusion barrier permeable to water and said selected antigens but substantially impermeable to formed elements of blood, a flow path forming means for directing said fluid to flow in contact with the retentive skin side of said membrane;
- pump means to move said blood along said flow-path, said pump means being the only blood-moving means of said apparatus;
- a closed, constant-volume compartment enclosing the exterior of said membranes;
- and an immunoreactive scavenging agent effective to scavenge predetermined antigens from said blood immobilized on the porous substrate side of said anisotropic membrane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.