System and method for site specific therapy

A method for performing site specific therapy of a tissue site, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a system comprising one or more catheters, each comprising one or more semipermeable membranes in the form of hollow fibers, and each adapted to be positioned within the tissue sites and a delivery/recovery mechanism for employing the catheter(s) to control the movement of bulk fluids and/or active fluid components, within tissue portions, b) positioning the catheter(s) within the tissue site, and c) operating the mechanism in order to control the movement of bulk fluids and/or active fluid components, wherein the delivery/recovery mechanism comprises a source of negative hydrostatic pressure adapted to recover bulk fluids and/or water and permeant solutes through the semipermeable membranes and from the tissue site, wherein the hollow fibers each provide a combination of strength, transport rate, and porosity suitable to provide improved fiber fluid recovery as compared to a conventional hollow fiber formed of regenerated cellulose membrane when evaluated in a test system comprising the fibers submerged in a physiologic fluid solution and subjected to negative 180 mm Hg.

A method for performing site specific therapy in order to treat cerebral edema, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a system comprising one or more catheters, in the form of a plurality of semipermeable membranes adapted to be positioned within the brain parenchyma and a delivery/recovery mechanism for employing the hollow fibers to control the movement of bulk fluids and/or water and permeant solutes within the parenchyma,
• b) positioning the hollow fibers within the parenchyma, and
• c) operating the mechanism by applying a source of negative hydrostatic pressure to recover bulk fluids and/or water and permeant solutes through the hollow fibers and from within the tissue site in a manner that achieves a therapeutic effect.