US 7,740,800 B2 · Extracorporeal blood circuit air removal system and method

Abstract

A disposable, integrated extracorporeal blood circuit employed during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery performs gas exchange, heat transfer, and microemboli filtering functions in a way as to conserve volume, to reduce setup and change out times, to eliminate a blood reservoir, and to substantially reduce blood-air interface. Blood from the patient or prime solution is routed through an air removal device that is equipped with air sensors for detection of air. An active air removal controller removes detected air from blood in the air removal device. A disposable circuit support module is used to mount the components of the disposable, integrated extracorporeal blood circuit in close proximity and in a desirable spatial relationship to optimize priming and use of the disposable, integrated extracorporeal blood circuit. A reusable circuit holder supports the disposable circuit support module in relation to a prime solution source, the active air removal controller and other components.

A venous air removal device (VARD) of an extracorporeal blood circuit providing extracorporeal oxygenation of a patient's blood by drawing venous blood from the venous system of a patient through a venous return line and delivering oxygenated blood through an arterial line to the arterial system of the patient during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery adapted to be performed on the patient in the presence of a perfusionist, the VARD comprising:

a VARD housing enclosing a lower VARD chamber and an upper VARD chamber;
an upper venous blood inlet through the VARD housing to the upper VARD chamber adapted to be coupled to the venous return line;
a lower venous blood outlet through the VARD housing to the lower VARD chamber adapted to be coupled to a blood pump to draw venous blood into the upper VARD chamber and out of the lower VARD chamber;
a purge port through the VARD housing to the upper VARD chamber;
an upper air sensor supported by the VARD housing in relation to the upper VARD chamber adapted to be powered to provide an electrical signal having a characteristic indicating the presence of air in the upper VARD chamber;
and
a lower air sensor supported by the VARD housing in relation to the lower VARD chamber adapted to be powered to provide an electrical signal having a characteristic indicating the presence of air in the lower VARD chamber,
wherein the upper air sensor comprises first and second piezoelectric elements mounted at respective first and second locations of the VARD housing having a portion of the upper VARD chamber between the first and second locations and the lower air sensor comprises third and fourth piezoelectric elements mounted at respective third and fourth locations of the VARD housing below the first and second piezoelectric elements and the first and third piezoelectric elements are adapted to be coupled to an excitation source for applying element excitation signals to cause the first and third piezoelectric elements to emit acoustic energy and the second and fourth piezoelectric elements are adapted to be coupled to signal processing circuitry for processing electrical signals generated in the second and fourth piezoelectric elements in response to acoustic energy emitted by the respective first and third piezoelectric elements and transmitted through any blood or air therebetween, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth piezoelectric elements are each rectangular having an element length, an element width shorter than the element length, and an element thickness and the first piezoelectric element is mounted to the VARD housing at the first location with the element length extending in a first direction, the second piezoelectric element is mounted to the VARD housing at the second location with the element length extending in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction, the third piezoelectric element is mounted to the VARD housing at the third location with the element length extending in a third direction and the fourth piezoelectric element is mounted to the VARD housing at the third location with the element length extending in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the fourth direction, and further wherein the first, second, third, and fourth piezoelectric elements comprise piezoelectric crystal layers having opposed major surfaces bearing conductive electrodes, wherein an electrical conductor is connected with each conductive electrode, and are mounted to the VARD housing with a conductive electrode disposed toward an exterior surface of the VARD housing at the respective first, second, third and fourth locations, wherein the electrical conductors extend to connector elements of a VARD connector adapted to coupled to a cable connector of a VARD cable, the VARD connector having a further pair of connector elements coupled together to enable a continuity check to be performed through a pair of conductors of the VARD cable when the cable connector is properly connected to the VARD cable.

5 more elements

Facts

Application

11/702,316Filed 5 Feb 2007 · division

Priority

14 Jan 2003

Published

US 2007/0140898 A121 Jun 2007

Granted

22 Jun 2010

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification26 codes

A61M 1/3627
Extra-corporeal blood circuits: degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters
A61M 1/32
Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators ; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for…:…
A61M 1/3603
Extra-corporeal circuits in which the blood fluid passes more than once through the treatment unit: in the same direction
A61M 1/3606
Other treatment of blood in a by-pass of the natural circulatory system, e.g. temperature adaptation, irradiation ; Extra-corporeal blood…

Family

Application60/440,005Us provisional application · filed 14 Jan 2003

Application60/515,619Us provisional application · filed 30 Oct 2003

Application10/743,598Parent of this division · filed 22 Dec 2003

US 2007/0140898 A1Pre-grant publication · published 21 Jun 2007

US 7,204,958 B2Parent of this division

US 2004/0217054 A1Published application

US 7,740,800 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Extracorporeal blood circuit air removal system and method

Life of this patent

Extracorporeal blood circuit air removal system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4