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US 6,471,747 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for delivering and recovering gasses
AssigneesThe Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc., Trustees of Boston University
InventorsArvind Venkatesh, Mitchell S. Albert, Jeffrey J. Spiegelman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a procedure for recycling used gasses and to devices that can be use to accomplish this recycling.
Claims15
A method for recycling a chosen gas used in a medical procedure, comprising:
- a) retrieving a gas mixture from a first patient, wherein said gas mixture includes said chosen gas;
- b) inserting said gas mixture into a recycling device;
- c) passing the gas mixture through a dryer unit to remove water vapor from the gas mixture;
- d) passing the gas mixture through a getter to remove non-chosen gasses in the gas mixture, wherein only the chosen gas remains;
- e) storing the chosen gas for later use;
- f) removing the chosen gas from storage;
- g) transferring the chosen gas to a cell, wherein it is prepared for delivery to a second patient;
- and
- h) supplying the gas prepared in step g) to said second patient.
6 more elements
A device for recycling a chosen gas, comprising:
- a) a first portable container (102) connected to a first end of a first gas line;
- b) a vacuum pump (106), connected to the second end of said first gas line;
- c) a getter (112), connected to said vacuum pump;
- d) a storage container (118), connected to said getter and to a first end of a second gas line;
- e) a mass flow controller (120) for regulating the amount of said gas that flows from said storage container and which is connected to the second end of said second gas line;
- f) a purifier (122) connected to said mass flow controller;
- g) a cell (126) for preparing said gas for delivery to a patient and connected to said purifier;
- and
- h) a second portable container (124) for receiving hyperpolarized noble gas from said cell.
6 more elements
An MRI imaging machine comprising a device for recycling a chosen gas, wherein said device for recycling a chosen gas is positioned so that the retrieval of said chosen gas occurs at an exit port in the bore of the scanner of said MRI machine;
- said chosen gas is transferred out of said device at an entry port in the bore of the scanner of said MRI machine;
- and wherein said device for recycling a chosen gas comprises:
- a) means for recycling a mixture of gases containing said chosen gas and introducing said mixture of gases into said device;
- a) means for propelling the gases introduced in step a) through said device;
- c) means for purifying chosen gas as it is propelled through said device;
- d) means for storing chosen gas purified by the means of step c);
- e) means for removing chosen gas from the storage means of step d) and for regulating the amount of gas that flows from said storage means;
- f) means for transforming gas that has been removed from the storage means of step d) into a state for delivery to a patient;
- and
- g) means for transferring the gas prepared in step f) out of said device.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.