Blood oxygenator and heat exchanger
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorRonald J. Leonard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integral blood oxygenator and heat exchanger device for oxygenating and heating or cooling a patient's blood during heart bypass surgery. The device preferably includes a pleated blood filter disposed within a gap formed between the opposite ends of the blood oxygenating medium. A blood inlet manifold closely receives a tubular heat exchanging barrier and directs blood flow around the barrier to a blood outlet slot. The blood oxygenating medium covers the blood outlet slot so that blood must flow through the blood oxygenating medium before reaching the blood filter. A vent port and bypass port may be provided in the gap formed by the opposite ends of the blood oxygenating medium upstream of the blood filter.
Claims25
An integral blood oxygenator and heat exchanger for oxygenating and heating or cooling a patient's blood during heart bypass surgery, the blood oxygenator and heat exchanger comprising:
- a generally elongate, generally tubular heat exchanger barrier for separating blood and heat-exchanging fluid while permitting heat transfer across the barrier;
- a generally elongate inlet manifold closely receiving the heat exchanger barrier, the inlet manifold defining a blood inlet passageway extending longitudinally along one side of the heat exchanger barrier, and a blood outlet slot extending generally longitudinally along the opposite side of the heat exchanger barrier, the blood inlet passageway and blood outlet slot defining a blood flow passageway extending generally circumferentially around the heat exchanger barrier;
- a blood oxygenating medium comprising a plurality of plies of a mat, each ply of the mat comprising porous hollow fibers through which oxygen flows to oxygenate blood flowing around the porous hollow fibers, the blood oxygenating medium being wrapped around the inlet manifold so that blood exiting the blood outlet slot must flow through the blood oxygenating medium;
- and
- a housing closely receiving the blood oxygenating medium, inlet manifold and heat exchanger barrier, the housing defining an outlet manifold extending longitudinally along one side of the housing generally opposite the blood outlet slot of the inlet manifold, thereby defining a blood flow path through the blood oxygenating medium extending around the inlet manifold between the blood outlet slot of the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold of the housing, the housing having a blood outlet in fluid communication with the outlet manifold and a blood inlet in fluid communication with the blood inlet passageway of the inlet manifold.
An integral blood oxygenator, heat exchanger and blood filter device for oxygenating and heating or cooling a patient's blood during heart bypass surgery, the unit comprising:
- a heat exchanger barrier for separating blood and heat-exchanging fluid while permitting heat transfer across the barrier;
- a manifold receiving the heat exchanger barrier, the manifold defining a blood inlet and a blood outlet defining a blood flow passageway extending along the heat exchanger barrier;
- a blood oxygenating medium wrapped around the manifold so that blood flow through the outlet of the manifold must pass through the blood oxygenating medium, the blood oxygenating medium having opposite ends defining a gap between the ends along the outside of the manifold;
- a blood filtering medium disposed within the gap between the opposite end of the blood oxygenating medium to filter blood exiting the blood oxygenating medium, the blood filtering medium having upstream and downstream sides;
- and
- a housing for the blood filtering medium, blood oxygenating medium, manifold and heat exchanger barrier, the housing having a blood outlet in fluid communication with the downstream side of the blood filtering medium, thereby defining a blood flow path through the blood oxygenating medium and blood filtering medium extending around the manifold between the blood outlet of the manifold and the blood outlet of the housing.
An integral blood oxygenator and heat exchanger for oxygenating and heating or cooling a patient's blood during heart bypass surgery, the blood oxygenator and heat exchanger comprising:
- a heat exchanger;
- an inlet manifold receiving the heat exchanger, the inlet manifold forming a blood inlet passageway and a blood outlet slot defining a blood flow passageway through the heat exchanger;
- a blood oxygenating medium having opposite ends and being wrapped around the inlet manifold such that (a) the opposite ends define a gap extending along the side of the inlet manifold generally opposite the blood outlet slot, and (b) the blood oxygenating medium covers the blood outlet slot intermediate the opposite ends of the blood oxygenating medium, so that blood enters the blood oxygenating medium from the blood outlet slot intermediate the opposite ends of the blood oxygenating medium, travels through the blood oxygenating medium in opposite directions and exits the blood oxygenating medium through the opposite ends of the blood oxygenating medium;
- and
- a housing receiving the blood oxygenating medium, inlet manifold and heat exchanger barrier, the housing having a blood outlet in fluid communication with the gap formed between the opposite ends of the blood oxygenating medium, and a blood inlet in fluid communication with the blood inlet passageway of the inlet manifold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.