JP2006230905A - Blood purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dry type blood purifier excellent in antithrombogenicity and long-time preserving stability, which prevents its permselective hollow fiber membrane from being deteriorated by irradiation when sterilized by the irradiation without using a radical scavenger. <P>SOLUTION: The blood purifier employs bundled permselective polysulfone-based hollow fiber membrane containing polyvinylpyrrolidone. An elution value of the polyvinylpyrrolidone from the bundled hollow fiber membrane after the irradiation is not more than 10 ppm. When the bundled hollow fiber membrane is longitudinally divided into 10 sections and each section is tested according to the manufacturing license standard for a dialysis type artificial kidney, the elution value of hydrogen peroxide extracted from every section is not more than 5 ppm, the content of carboxy group in the hollow fiber membrane is 100-800 nmol/g, and the content of peroxide therein is not more than 200 nmol/g. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a blood purifier for the purpose of removing blood waste products by extracorporeal circulation.

  In blood purification therapy for the treatment of renal failure, natural materials such as cellulose, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, and synthetic polymers such as polysulfone and polysulfate are used to remove urine toxins and waste products in the blood. Modules such as hemodialyzers, hemofilters or hemodialyzers using dialysis membranes using polymers such as methyl methacrylate and polyacrylonitrile and ultrafiltration membranes as separation materials are widely used. In particular, modules using hollow fiber membranes as separation materials are important in the dialyzer field due to advantages such as reduction of the amount of blood circulating outside the body, high efficiency of removing substances in the blood, and productivity during module production. high.

  Among the above-mentioned membrane materials, polysulfone-based resins having high water permeability are attracting attention as the best match with the progress of dialysis technology. However, when a semi-permeable membrane is made of polysulfone alone, the polysulfone resin is hydrophobic, so it has poor affinity with blood and causes an airlock phenomenon. Can not.

As a method for solving the above-described problems, a method has been proposed in which a hydrophilic polymer is blended with a polysulfone-based resin to form a film, thereby imparting hydrophilicity to the film. For example, a method of blending a polyhydric alcohol such as polyethylene glycol is disclosed (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP-A-61-232860 JP 58-114702 A

Moreover, the method of mix | blending polyvinylpyrrolidone is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 3, 4).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-54373 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-75667

In particular, the latter method using polyvinyl pyrrolidone is attracting attention from the viewpoint of safety and economy, and the above-described problems are solved by this method. However, in the hydrophilization technique by blending a hydrophilic polymer, there arises a problem that the hydrophilic polymer is eluted and mixed into purified blood during dialysis. When elution of the hydrophilic polymer increases, the hydrophilic polymer, which is a foreign substance taken up by the human body, increases in the body during long-term dialysis and may cause side effects and complications. Therefore, the elution amount of the hydrophilic polymer is determined by the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard. In the dialysis artificial kidney device production approval standard, the amount of elution of polyvinylpyrrolidone and the like is quantified by UV absorbance. Techniques have been disclosed for determining the effect of elution control based on the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval criteria (see, for example, Patent Documents 5 to 7). Patent Document 8 discloses a semipermeable membrane for blood treatment in which the elution amount of hydrophilic polymer from the semipermeable membrane is 10 ppm or less. This document discloses a technique for suppressing elution of a hydrophilic polymer from a semipermeable membrane for blood treatment, but it is a process related to deterioration / degradation of the hydrophilic polymer over time, which extends to storage of a hollow fiber membrane. No mention is made of the effects of hydrogen oxide.
Japanese Patent No. 3314861 JP-A-6-165926 JP 2000-350926 A JP 2001-170171 A

  As a result of detailed studies on the elution behavior of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone, the present inventors have found that the extract extracted by the test method defined by the above dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval criteria contains a conventionally known UV absorbance. Then, it was found that hydrogen peroxide that cannot be measured was included. When hydrogen peroxide is present in the blood purifier and in the selectively permeable separation membrane, for example, it promotes oxidative degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the storage stability that the elution amount of the polyvinylpyrrolidone increases when the hollow fiber membrane bundle is stored. I found out that it gets worse.

  Furthermore, in the prior arts disclosed in Patent Documents 5 to 8 described above, all have been evaluated for specific portions of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. In reality, it has been found that when the treatment such as drying the hollow fiber membrane bundle is performed in the module assembly or the like, the above-described elution amount largely varies in the hollow fiber membrane bundle due to the influence of fluctuations in the drying conditions, etc. Evaluation of only a specific part cannot answer the high safety requirement. In particular, when hydrogen peroxide as clarified by the present inventors is present in a specific part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the deterioration reaction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle material is started from that point and propagates to the entire hollow fiber membrane bundle. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the amount of the hollow fiber membrane bundle used in the module in the longitudinal direction is below a certain amount over the entire region.

  On the other hand, in a blood purifier, radiation irradiation treatment may be performed for the purpose of crosslinking or sterilizing polyvinyl pyrrolidone in a selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane filled in the blood purifier. However, when irradiated, modification may be caused to a part of the hydrophilic polymer in addition to the crosslinking reaction and sterilization effect. That is, it reacts with water or oxygen in the processing atmosphere to generate an unstable functional group or partial structure in an oxidized state, or a new functional group is generated by hydrolysis. Even if the content of the hydrophilic polymer in the entire membrane is small, most of it is concentrated on the surface of the polysulfone aggregated particles by phase separation, so these effects on blood are not negligible. As a result, the anti-thrombogenicity of the membrane may be reduced due to physicochemical changes in these modified parts. In addition, denaturation continued during long-term storage after irradiation, and the antithrombogenicity could be reduced before actual use.

As a method for solving the above problems, in a film irradiated with radiation, when the carboxyl group content and the peroxide content in the film are controlled within a certain range, the antithrombogenicity is excellent, and even when stored for a long period of time. A technique capable of maintaining an antithrombotic state is disclosed (see Patent Document 9).
JP 2000-135421 A

  However, the blood purifier disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document is a method applied to a so-called wet type blood purifier irradiated with water in a water-filled state. The wet type blood purifier is naturally heavy due to water filling, and is inconvenient to transport and handle. In cold regions, the water filled in the blood purifier freezes in the severe cold season and the hollow fiber membrane ruptures. And problems such as damage. In addition, there are high cost factors such as preparation of a large amount of sterilized water. Moreover, in order to make the hollow fiber membrane both moist and easy for bacteria to propagate, it is conceivable that the bacteria will proliferate during a short period after packaging until sterilization. As a result, the blood purifier manufactured in this way is not preferable because it leads to cost increase or safety problems until a completely sterilized state is obtained. This technique is irradiated with radiation in the presence of a radical scavenger, and has a problem that an operation for washing and removing the radical scavenger in advance is necessary when used for blood purification. Therefore, there is a strong enthusiasm for establishing a so-called dry-type blood purifier loaded with a selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane in a dry state and capable of avoiding the above problems even when irradiated with radiation in the absence of a radical scavenger. Has been.

  In addition, when the blood purifier is used as a dialyzer for an artificial kidney, it is necessary to perform a complete sterilization process before use. For the sterilization treatment, formalin, ethylene oxide gas, high-pressure steam sterilization, γ-ray radiation or electron beam irradiation sterilization methods, and the like are used, each exhibiting a unique effect. Among these, the sterilization method by radiation or electron beam irradiation is adopted as a preferable sterilization method because it can process the object to be processed in a packaged state and has an excellent sterilization effect.

However, it is known that hollow fiber membranes used in blood purifiers and adhesives used for fixing the hollow fiber membranes are deteriorated by radiation irradiation, and a method of sterilizing while preventing deterioration. Has been proposed. For example, a method for suppressing deterioration of the hollow fiber membrane by γ-ray irradiation by making the hollow fiber membrane in a wet state with a saturated moisture content or higher is disclosed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 10). However, this method has the same problem as that of Patent Document 9.
Japanese Patent Publication No.55-23620

As a method for avoiding the above-mentioned wet state and suppressing deterioration due to radiation irradiation, a method is disclosed in which a sterilizing protective agent such as glycerin or polyethylene glycol is contained in the hollow fiber membrane and γ-ray irradiation is performed in a dry state ( For example, see Patent Document 11). However, since this method contains a protective agent in the hollow fiber membrane, it is difficult to keep the water content of the hollow fiber membrane low, and the problem of deterioration of the protective agent due to γ-ray irradiation and the protective agent immediately before use are difficult. There was a problem that it took time and effort to clean and remove.
JP-A-8-168524

As a method for solving the above problems, in a dialyzer containing a semipermeable membrane, 100% or more of water is held with respect to the weight of the semipermeable membrane, and the inside of the dialyzer is made an inert gas atmosphere. A method of manufacturing a dialyzer that performs γ-ray irradiation is disclosed (see Patent Document 12). However, there is no mention of the characteristics that the hollow fiber membrane should have before irradiation with radiation and the influence on the priming property of the hollow fiber membrane due to the irradiation of radiation.
JP 2001-170167 A

Further, as a method for solving the above problems, a method of sterilizing by irradiating with radiation in a state where the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane is 5% or less and the relative humidity near the hollow fiber membrane is 40% or less is disclosed. Yes. (For example, refer to Patent Document 13). In the method, the above-mentioned problems have been solved, and the ultraviolet absorbance at a wavelength of 220 to 350 nm measured in accordance with the dialysis membrane elution test of the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard satisfies the standard value of 0.1 or less. ing. However, in Patent Document 13, there is no mention of the influence of the oxygen concentration around the hollow fiber membrane during sterilization, the change in the amount of eluate after sterilization, and the like.
JP 2000-288085 A

Moreover, in the method of performing sterilization by γ-ray irradiation, a method for achieving that the insolubilized component of the membrane material is 10 wt% or less by performing γ-ray irradiation in a state where the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane is 10 wt% or less is disclosed. Has been. (For example, refer to Patent Document 14). The patent document discloses that the amount of the hydrophilic polymer per 1 m ^{2 of the} liquid contact side area of the membrane extracted with a 40% ethanol aqueous solution can be 2.0 mg / m ² or less. However, even in this patent document, there is no influence on the influence of the oxygen concentration around the hollow fiber membrane when γ-irradiation is performed, on the change in the amount of eluate after sterilization, or on the priming property of sterilization. Not mentioned.
JP 2001-205057 A

Further, as a method for avoiding deterioration of the base material of the medical device due to oxygen, a method of sealing the medical device together with an oxygen scavenger with a packaging material made of an oxygen-impermeable material and performing radiation irradiation is known. Is also disclosed. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 15 to 17).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-74364 JP-A-62-204754 WO98 / 58842 publication

  As the deterioration due to the radiation irradiation using the oxygen scavenger described above, Patent Document 15 shows that odor is generated, Patent Document 16 shows that the strength of the base material and dialysis performance are lowered, and Patent Document 17 shows that the strength of the base material is reduced and aldehyde. Although the occurrence of sucrose has been described, there is no mention of the increase in the amount of extract described above. Moreover, although oxygen concentration in the packaging bag at the time of radiation irradiation is described, nothing is mentioned about the importance of moisture in the hollow fiber membrane.

  Furthermore, as the material of the packaging bag used for the method of radiation sterilization in the system using the oxygen scavenger described above, the importance of gas, especially oxygen impermeability is described, but regarding moisture permeability, Not mentioned.

Also disclosed is a method of radiation sterilizing a liquid processing device filled with a film protective agent in a wet or semi-wet shape in an inert gas atmosphere (see, for example, Patent Document 18). In this patent document, a method of using an oxygen scavenger as an achievement means for creating an inert gas atmosphere is disclosed. In addition, water is listed as a film protective agent. On the other hand, although the lower limit of the moisture content in the semi-wet state is not mentioned, the problem to be solved by the invention is that “glycerin, physiological saline or water oozes out and the inside wall of the liquid processor and the inside of the packaging bag There was a problem of adhering to the hand and adhering to the hand during the operation of the liquid processing apparatus, ”suggesting that the water content is higher than the saturated water content. Therefore, it can be regarded as a technique having the same problem as in Patent Document 10.
JP-A-8-280795

In order to maintain the sterilization effect for a long time, a method of sterilizing a dry type hollow fiber membrane blood purifier by vacuum packaging and irradiating with γ rays has been disclosed (see Patent Document 19). However, no consideration is given to the deterioration of the hollow fiber membrane during γ-ray irradiation or storage. In addition, no mention is made regarding the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane.
JP 2001-149471 A

Further, it is disclosed that the amount of peroxide in the hollow fiber membrane is increased by irradiating the dried hollow fiber membrane with γ rays compared to the irradiation in the wet state. No mention is made of a method for suppressing the formation of peroxides during irradiation (see Patent Document 20).
JP 2000-135421 A

  Further, in the production of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane used for blood purification treatment as described above, in the method of suppressing the elution of polyvinylpyrrolidone or irradiating radiation such as γ rays for sterilization, Although some have been disclosed regarding the moisture content and irradiation atmosphere conditions of the yarn membrane, mention is made regarding the characteristics that the hollow fiber membrane should have before irradiation and the effect on the priming property of the hollow fiber membrane by irradiation. It has not been.

In addition, a package and a storage method for a liquid separation membrane module in which a liquid separation membrane module used for various industrial water treatments and the like is packaged with a film having a specific composition in which air permeability is suppressed are disclosed (Patent Documents). 21). The method relates to a package in a wet state in which a package is filled with deoxygenated water having a specific dissolved oxygen concentration, and a storage method.
JP 2004-195380 A

Moreover, in the drying of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, a method of drying by irradiating with microwaves is disclosed. However, in this patent document, the generation of hydrogen peroxide during drying and the storage stability of the dried hollow fiber membrane bundle are disclosed. No consideration is given to sex (for example, see Patent Documents 22 to 25).
JP 2003-175320 A JP 2003-175321 A JP 2003-175322 A JP 2004-305997 A

  The present invention has no problems in the above-described prior art, that is, in a dry type blood purifier, even if sterilization treatment is performed by radiation irradiation in the absence of a radical scavenger, the selectively permeable hollow by radiation irradiation is performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a blood purifier in which deterioration of the thread membrane is suppressed, excellent in antithrombotic properties, and excellent in long-term storage stability.

The present invention relates to a blood purifier prepared using a polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle containing polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the elution of polyvinylpyrrolidone from the hollow fiber membrane bundle after irradiation is 10 ppm or less, When the hollow fiber membrane bundle was divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction and the test defined by the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard was performed for each part, the hydrogen peroxide elution amount of the extract at each part was all The blood purifier is characterized in that it is 5 ppm or less at a site, the carboxyl group content in the hollow fiber membrane is 100 to 800 nmol / g, and the peroxide content is 200 nmol / g or less.
In this case, the water content in the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle is preferably 0.8 to 600% by mass.
In this case, it is preferable that the irradiation is performed in the absence of a radical scavenger.
Further, in this case, blood and dialysate of a blood purifier filled with a polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle containing polyvinylpyrrolidone whose water content is adjusted to 5 to 600% by mass using deaerated water. It is preferable that all the entrances and exits are sealed and sealed with a packaging bag that blocks outside air and water vapor.
In this case, the deaerated water present in and around the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane is preferably deoxygenated water.
In this case, it is preferable that the deaerated water present in and around the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane is an inert gas saturated water.
In this case, it is preferable that radiation is irradiated after at least 48 hours have passed since all the blood and dialysate entrances and exits of the blood purifier are sealed.
Further, in this case, after storing the blood purifier after irradiation at room temperature for 1 year or longer, take out the hollow fiber membrane bundle from the blood purifier, divide the hollow fiber membrane bundle into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction, It is preferable that the maximum value of UV (220 to 350 nm) absorbance in the extract of the hollow fiber membrane when the test defined by the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard is performed for each part is 0.10 or less.

  Since the blood purifier of the present invention is of a dry type, it has advantages such as being light, not freezing, and difficult to propagate various germs. In addition, since the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane loaded in the blood purifier of the present invention does not contain a radical scavenger, the radical scavenger is washed and removed in advance when used for blood purification. There is an advantage that the operation to perform is unnecessary. Furthermore, in the present invention, even in the dry state and in the absence of a radical scavenger, even if irradiated with radiation, the degradation of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane due to irradiation is suppressed, an effect that cannot be achieved with the prior art. Therefore, the production of hydrogen peroxide, carboxyl group and peroxide caused by the degradation reaction is small, and the blood purifier of the present invention is excellent in antithrombogenicity and excellent in long-term storage stability. Have advantages. For example, the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane loaded in the blood purifier has suppressed generation of hydrogen peroxide even when irradiated with radiation, such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone caused by the hydrogen peroxide. Since deterioration is suppressed, the maximum value of UV (220-350 nm) absorbance, which is the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard, can be maintained at 0.10 or less even when the blood purifier is stored for a long period of time. There is an advantage that safety can be ensured when the vessel is stored for a long time.

で示される繰り返し単位をもつポリスルホン樹脂やポリエーテルスルホン樹脂がポリスルホン系樹脂として広く市販されており、入手も容易なため好ましい。 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The hollow fiber membrane bundle used in the present invention is characterized in that it is composed of a polysulfone resin containing polyvinylpyrrolidone. The polysulfone resin in the present invention is a general term for resins having a sulfone bond and is not particularly limited.

A polysulfone resin or a polyethersulfone resin having a repeating unit represented by is widely available as a polysulfone resin and is preferable because it is easily available.

  Polyvinyl pyrrolidone used in the present invention is a water-soluble polymer compound obtained by vinyl polymerization of N-vinyl pyrrolidone, “Kollidon” from BASF, “Prasdon” from ISP, and “Pittscall” from Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku. Are commercially available under the trade name “,” and there are products of various molecular weights. In general, it is preferable to use a low molecular weight in terms of imparting hydrophilicity, while a high molecular weight is preferable in terms of reducing the amount of elution, but in accordance with the required characteristics of the hollow fiber membrane bundle of the final product. It is selected appropriately. Those having a single molecular weight may be used, or two or more products having different molecular weights may be mixed and used. Moreover, you may use what refine | purified a commercial product and sharpened molecular weight distribution, for example.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to produce a selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle using polyvinylpyrrolidone having a hydrogen peroxide content of 300 ppm or less. By setting the hydrogen peroxide content in the polyvinylpyrrolidone used as a raw material to 300 ppm or less, the hydrogen peroxide elution amount in the hollow fiber membrane bundle after film formation can be easily suppressed to 5 ppm or less. This is preferable because the quality of the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be stabilized. The hydrogen peroxide content in the polyvinylpyrrolidone used as a raw material is more preferably 250 ppm or less, further preferably 200 ppm or less, and further preferably 150 ppm or less.

  The presence of hydrogen peroxide in the polyvinyl pyrrolidone used as a raw material is considered to trigger the oxidative degradation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, which increases explosively with the progress of oxidative degradation, and further oxidative degradation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone. It is thought that it promotes. Therefore, setting the hydrogen peroxide content to 300 ppm or less is the first means for suppressing the oxidative deterioration of polyvinylpyrrolidone in the process of producing a selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane. It is also effective and recommended to take measures to suppress deterioration during transportation and storage of polyvinylpyrrolidone at the raw material stage. For example, it is preferable to use an aluminum foil laminated bag to shield the light and enclose with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, or enclose and store an oxygen scavenger together. In addition, it is preferable that the measurement and preparation when the package is opened and subdivided be performed after inert gas replacement, and the above-mentioned measures are taken for the storage. Also, in the manufacturing process of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, it is also recommended as a preferred embodiment to take means such as replacing the inside of the supply tank in the raw material supply system with an inert gas. Moreover, it is not excluded to use polyvinylpyrrolidone in which the amount of hydrogen peroxide is reduced by a recrystallization method or an extraction method.

  The method for producing the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane of the present invention is not limited in any way, but for example, a hollow fiber membrane type that can be produced by a method known in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-300663 is preferable. For example, 16 parts by mass of polyethersulfone (4800P, manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.) and 5 parts by mass of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (K-90, manufactured by BASF) disclosed in the patent document, 74 parts by mass of dimethylacetamide, 5 parts by mass of water Was dissolved and defoamed as a film-forming solution, and a 50% dimethylacetamide aqueous solution was used as a core solution, and this was simultaneously discharged from the outside and inside of the double-tube orifice, An example is a method in which a hollow fiber membrane is formed in a coagulation bath made of water at 75 ° C., and is washed after washing with water and dried at 60 ° C.

  The composition ratio of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the membrane with respect to the polysulfone resin in the present invention is not limited as long as it is within a range that can provide sufficient hydrophilicity and high water content to the hollow fiber membrane. It is preferable that pyrrolidone is 1-20 mass%. When the proportion of polyvinyl pyrrolidone relative to the polysulfone resin is too small, the hydrophilicity imparting effect of the membrane may be insufficient. Therefore, the proportion is more preferably 1.5% by mass or more, and 2.0% by mass or more. Is more preferable, and 2.5% by mass or more is even more preferable. On the other hand, when the ratio is too large, the hydrophilicity-imparting effect is saturated, and the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone and / or oxidatively deteriorated material eluted from the membrane increases, and the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone eluted from the membrane described later exceeds 10 ppm. There is a case. Therefore, it is more preferably 18% by mass or less, further preferably 15% by mass or less, still more preferably 13% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 10% by mass or less.

  The selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane for blood purifiers must be sterilized. As a sterilization method, a radiation sterilization method of irradiating γ rays or electron beams is preferable because of its reliability and simplicity. In addition, irradiation treatment is performed as a means for crosslinking a hydrophilic polymer such as polyvinylpyrrolidone.

  In the present invention, in the blood purifier prepared using the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle containing the above-mentioned polyvinyl pyrrolidone, the elution of polyvinyl pyrrolidone from the hollow fiber membrane bundle after irradiation is 10 ppm or less. Yes, when the hollow fiber membrane bundle is divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction and the test defined by the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard is carried out for each part, the hydrogen peroxide elution amount of the extract at each part Is 5 ppm or less at all sites, the carboxyl group content in the hollow fiber membrane is preferably 100 to 800 nmol / g, and the peroxide content is preferably 200 nmol / g or less.

  In order to satisfy the above characteristics, it is preferable that the permselective hollow fiber membrane before irradiation has the above characteristics. In particular, irradiation with radiation causes degradation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and generation of hydrogen peroxide, and generation of hydrogen peroxide is promoted by hydrogen peroxide present at the time of irradiation. It is important as a characteristic that must not be. After the irradiation, the permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle is divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction, and the elution of hydrogen peroxide when measured for each is maintained at 5 ppm or less at all sites. It is more preferable that the previous permselective hollow fiber membrane is divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction, and the elution of hydrogen peroxide when measured for each is 3 ppm or less at all sites.

  When the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane exceeded 5 ppm, the storage stability deteriorated due to the oxidative degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone by the hydrogen peroxide as described above, and for example, it was stored for a long time. In some cases, the elution amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone may increase. In terms of storage stability, the increase in the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone eluted is the most prominent phenomenon. In addition, the deterioration of the polysulfone polymer causes the hollow fiber membrane to become brittle, or the polyurethane used for assembling the blood purifier. This may accelerate the deterioration of the adhesive and increase the elution amount of deteriorated products such as urethane oligomers, possibly leading to a decrease in safety. The increase in the amount of eluate caused by deterioration caused by the oxidizing action of hydrogen peroxide during long-term storage can be evaluated by measuring UV (220-350 nm) absorbance set by the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard.

  The elution amount of hydrogen peroxide was also quantified using an extract extracted by a method according to the dissolution test method of the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard.

  As described above, even when hydrogen peroxide is present in a specific part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the deterioration reaction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle material starts from that point and propagates to the entire hollow fiber membrane bundle. The amount of elution in the length direction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle used with the purifier needs to be kept below a certain amount over the entire region. That is, the oxidative degradation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone initiated by hydrogen peroxide at a specific site spreads throughout the entire hollow fiber membrane bundle, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide further increases due to the degradation, and the degraded polyvinyl pyrrolidone has a molecular weight , It becomes easier to elute from the hollow fiber membrane bundle. This deterioration reaction proceeds in a chain. Therefore, when the hollow fiber membrane bundle is stored for a long period of time, the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide and polyvinylpyrrolidone increases, which may lead to a decrease in safety when used as a blood purifier. Therefore, it is preferable that the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle is divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide eluted when measured for each is 5 ppm or less at all sites. . 4 ppm or less is more preferable, and 3 ppm or less is more preferable.

  In addition, the hollow fiber membrane bundle of the present invention is a hollow fiber membrane extract obtained when a dry hollow fiber membrane bundle is stored at room temperature for 3 months or more and then subjected to a test defined by the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval criteria. It is preferable that the maximum value of UV (220 to 350 nm) absorbance at 0.10 is 0.10 or less. In this evaluation, the hollow fiber membrane bundle in a dry state was stored for 3 months or longer in a dry box (atmosphere: air) conditioned at a humidity of 50% RH, and then the hollow fiber membrane bundle was divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction. , And evaluated by the maximum value when measured for each. The UV (220-350 nm) absorbance is more preferably 0.08 or less. This characteristic can be imparted by setting the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide to 5 ppm or less at all the portions obtained by dividing the hollow fiber membrane bundle into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction.

  As a method of controlling the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide to the above regulated range, for example, as described above, it is effective to make the amount of hydrogen peroxide in polyvinylpyrrolidone used as a raw material 300 ppm or less, Since the hydrogen peroxide is also generated during the manufacturing process of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, it is necessary to strictly control the manufacturing conditions of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. In particular, optimization of the drying conditions is important because the production of the spinning solution during the production of the hollow fiber membrane bundle greatly contributes to the production in the drying step. In particular, this optimization of the drying conditions is an effective means for reducing the fluctuation in the elution amount in the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle.

  Regarding the dissolving step of the spinning solution, for example, when the spinning solution comprising a polysulfone resin, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and a solvent is stirred and dissolved, if polyvinylpyrrolidone contains hydrogen peroxide, oxygen present in the dissolving tank It has been found that hydrogen peroxide increases explosively due to the effects of heat and heat during dissolution. Therefore, when charging the raw material into the dissolution tank, it is preferable to input the raw material into the dissolution tank that has been previously replaced with an inert gas. As the inert gas, nitrogen, argon or the like is preferably used. Moreover, although a solvent, and a non-solvent may be added depending on the case, it is also a preferable embodiment that oxygen dissolved in these solvent and non-solvent is replaced with an inert gas.

  In addition, as another method for suppressing the generation of hydrogen peroxide, it is an important requirement to dissolve the film forming solution in a short time. For this purpose, it is usually sufficient to increase the dissolution temperature and / or increase the stirring speed. However, when it does so, degradation and decomposition of polyvinyl pyrrolidone will proceed due to the influence of temperature, stirring linear velocity and shearing force. In fact, according to the study by the inventors, the molecular weight of polyvinylpyrrolidone in the film-forming solution moves in the direction of decomposition (shifts to the low molecular side) as the dissolution temperature increases, or the low molecular side. The appearance of a shoulder that appears to be a decomposition product was observed. From the above, increasing the temperature for the purpose of improving the dissolution rate of the raw material promotes the degradation and degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone, and consequently blends the degradation product of polyvinylpyrrolidone into the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane. For example, when the obtained hollow fiber membrane is used for blood purification, a degradation product is eluted in the blood, and it has not been excellent in terms of product quality safety. Then, it tried to mix a raw material at low temperature in order to suppress decomposition | disassembly of polyvinylpyrrolidone. Even if it is low-temperature dissolution, it is usually preferable to have a temperature of 5 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower because it requires a running cost under extreme conditions that are below freezing. 60 degrees C or less is more preferable. However, simply lowering the melting temperature causes degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone due to the longer melting time, lowering the operability and increasing the size of the equipment, which causes problems in industrial implementation. In particular, when polyvinyl pyrrolidone is dissolved at a low temperature, the polyvinyl pyrrolidone becomes a powdered powder, which makes it difficult to dissolve further, or has a problem that it takes a long time for uniform dissolution.

  As a result of examining the dissolution conditions for dissolving at low temperature without taking time, it was found that it is preferable to knead the components constituting the spinning solution prior to dissolution, and the present invention was reached. The kneading may be performed by kneading components such as polysulfone polymer, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and a solvent at once, or kneading polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polysulfone polymer separately. As mentioned above, polyvinylpyrrolidone is accelerated by contact with oxygen and leads to the generation of hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, consideration must be given to suppressing contact with oxygen, such as in an atmosphere substituted with an inert gas, even during kneading. It is preferable to carry out in a separate line. A method of supplying only the polyvinyl pyrrolidone and the solvent and supplying the polysulfone polymer directly to the dissolution tank without pre-kneading is also included in the scope of the present invention.

  The kneading may be performed by providing a kneading line separately from the dissolving tank, and the kneaded product may be supplied to the dissolving tank, or both the kneading and dissolving may be performed in a dissolving tank having a kneading function. The type and form of the kneading apparatus in the former separate apparatus are not limited. Either a batch system or a continuous system may be used. A static method such as a static mixer may be used, or a dynamic method such as a kneader or a stirring kneader may be used. The latter is preferred from the efficiency of kneading. The kneading method in the latter case is not limited, and any type such as a pin type, a screw type, and a stirrer type may be used. Screw type is preferred. What is necessary is just to select suitably the shape and rotation speed of a screw from the balance of kneading | mixing efficiency and heat_generation | fever. On the other hand, the type of dissolution tank when using a dissolution tank having a kneading function is not limited. For example, there is a kneading and dissolving machine of a type that expresses a kneading effect by so-called planetary motion in which two frame-type blades rotate and revolve. Recommended. For example, a planetary mixer or a trimix manufactured by Inoue Seisakusho Co., Ltd. corresponds to this method.

  The ratio of the resin component such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone or polysulfone polymer and the solvent during kneading is not limited. A resin / solvent mass ratio of 0.1 to 3 is preferred. 0.5-2 are more preferable.

  As described above, the technical point of the present invention is to suppress the degradation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and perform efficient dissolution. Therefore, a system in which at least polyvinylpyrrolidone is present is a preferred embodiment in which the system is kneaded and dissolved at a low temperature of 70 ° C. or lower in a nitrogen atmosphere. When the polyvinyl pyrrolidone and the polysulfone resin are kneaded in separate lines, this requirement may be applied to the polysulfone resin kneading line. The efficiency of kneading and dissolution and heat generation are two contradictory phenomena. Selection of an apparatus and conditions that avoid the trade-off as much as possible is an important element of the present invention. In this sense, the cooling method in the kneading mechanism is important and needs attention.

Subsequently, the material kneaded by the above method is dissolved. Although the dissolution method is not limited, for example, a dissolution method using a stirring type dissolution apparatus can be applied. In order to dissolve at a low temperature for a short time (within 3 hours), the Froude number (Fr = n ² d / g) is 0.7 to 1.3 and the stirring Reynolds number (Re = nd ² ρ / μ) is It is preferable that it is 50-250. Where n is the blade rotation speed (rps), ρ is the density (Kg / m ³ ), μ is the viscosity (Pa · s), g is the gravitational acceleration (= 9.8 m / s ² ), and d is the stirring blade diameter. (M). If the Froude number is too large, the inertial force becomes strong, so that the raw material scattered in the tank adheres to the walls and ceiling, and the desired film-forming solution composition may not be obtained. Therefore, the fluid number is more preferably 1.25 or less, further preferably 1.2 or less, and further preferably 1.15 or less. On the other hand, if the fluid number is too small, the inertial force is weakened, so that the dispersibility of the raw material is lowered, and in particular, polyvinylpyrrolidone becomes a spatter, which makes it difficult to dissolve further or requires a long time for uniform dissolution. Sometimes. Therefore, the fluid number is more preferably 0.75 or more, and further preferably 0.8 or more.

  Since the film-forming solution in the present invention is a so-called low-viscosity fluid, if the stirring Reynolds number is too large, a long defoaming time or insufficient defoaming occurs due to entrapment of bubbles in the film-forming solution during stirring. Problems may occur. Therefore, the stirring Reynolds number is more preferably 240 or less, further preferably 230 or less, and still more preferably 220 or less. On the other hand, when the stirring Reynolds number is too small, the stirring force becomes small, so that dissolution may be easily made nonuniform. Therefore, the stirring Reynolds number is more preferably 35 or more, further preferably 40 or more, still more preferably 55 or more, and particularly preferably 60 or more. Furthermore, when a hollow fiber membrane is formed with such a spinning solution, the operability is deteriorated due to a decrease in spinnability due to bubbles, and in terms of quality, the portion becomes defective due to the entrapment of bubbles in the hollow fiber membrane, and the airtightness of the membrane is reduced. It has been found that this causes problems such as decreased sex and burst pressure. Defoaming of the spinning solution is an effective countermeasure, but it may involve a change in the composition of the spinning solution due to viscosity control of the spinning solution or evaporation of the solvent.

Furthermore, since polyvinylpyrrolidone tends to undergo oxidative degradation due to the influence of oxygen in the air, it is preferable to dissolve the spinning solution in an inert gas enclosure. Nitrogen, argon, etc. are raised as the inert gas, but nitrogen is preferably used. At this time, the residual oxygen concentration in the dissolution tank is preferably 3% or less. If the nitrogen filling pressure is increased, the melting time can be shortened. However, in order to increase the pressure, the equipment cost is increased, and from the viewpoint of work safety, atmospheric pressure and 2 kgf / cm ² or less are preferable.

  In addition, as the shape of the stirring blade used for dissolving the low-viscosity film forming solution used in the present invention, a radial turbine blade such as a disk turbine type, a paddle type, a curved blade fan turbine type, an arrow blade turbine type, or a propeller type An axial-flow type wing such as an inclined paddle type or a fiddler type is included, but is not limited thereto.

  By using the low-temperature dissolution method as described above, it is possible to obtain a highly safe hollow fiber membrane in which the degradation degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone is suppressed. In addition, it is preferable to use a spinning solution having a residence time of 24 hours or less after dissolution of the raw material for film formation. This is because thermal energy was accumulated while the film forming solution was kept warm, and a tendency to cause deterioration of the raw material was recognized.

  As a method for controlling the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide within the above regulated range, it is important to reduce contact with oxygen even in the drying step. For example, drying in an atmosphere substituted with an inert gas can be mentioned, but it is disadvantageous in terms of economy. As an economical drying method, a method of drying by irradiating microwaves under reduced pressure is effective and recommended. In performing so-called drying by removing a liquid from an object to be dried, it is well known that each of them is irradiated with reduced pressure and microwave. However, performing decompression and irradiating microwaves at the same time is a combination that is generally difficult to use in combination with microwave characteristics. The inventors of the present application adopt a combination with this difficulty in order to achieve improvement in safety and productivity by preventing oxidative degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone and reducing the amount of eluate from the hollow fiber membrane, and drying conditions. It was found that the problem can be solved by a method that is economically advantageous by optimizing the above.

  As a drying condition of the drying method, it is preferable to irradiate microwaves with an output of 0.1 to 100 kW under a reduced pressure of 20 kPa or less. Moreover, the frequency of this microwave is 1,000-5,000 MHz, and it is a preferable embodiment that the highest ultimate temperature of the hollow fiber membrane bundle during a drying process is 90 degrees C or less. If a means of decompression is also provided, drying of moisture will be promoted by itself, so there is an advantage that the microwave irradiation output can be reduced and the irradiation time can be shortened, but the temperature rise can also be made relatively low. Overall, there is little influence on the performance degradation of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. Furthermore, drying accompanied by means of reduced pressure has the advantage that the drying temperature can be relatively lowered, and in particular, there is a significant point that degradation degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone can be remarkably suppressed. An appropriate drying temperature is sufficient from 20 to 80 ° C. More preferably, it is 20-60 degreeC, More preferably, it is 20-50 degreeC, More preferably, it is 30-45 degreeC.

  The fact that the pressure is reduced means that the low pressure acts uniformly on the center portion and the outer peripheral portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the moisture evaporation is promoted uniformly, and the hollow fiber membrane is uniformly dried. Therefore, the failure of the hollow fiber membrane bundle due to non-uniform drying is corrected. In addition, heating by microwaves also acts almost equally on the entire center and outer periphery of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, so it functions synergistically in uniform heating, and is unique in drying the hollow fiber membrane bundle. It will be of significance. The degree of vacuum may be set as appropriate depending on the output of the microwave, the total moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the number of hollow fiber membrane bundles, but in order to prevent temperature rise of the hollow fiber membrane bundle during drying, the degree of vacuum is It is performed at 20 kPa or less, more preferably 15 kPa or less, and further preferably 10 kPa or less. If it is 20 kPa or more, not only the water evaporation efficiency is lowered, but also the temperature of the polymer constituting the hollow fiber membrane bundle may be increased and deteriorated. Moreover, although the one where a pressure reduction degree is higher is preferable in the meaning which suppresses a temperature rise and raises drying efficiency, since the cost concerning maintaining the sealing degree of an apparatus becomes high, 0.1 kPa or more is preferable. More preferably, it is 0.25 kPa or more, and further preferably 0.4 kPa or more.

In consideration of shortening the drying time, a higher microwave output is preferable.For example, in hollow fiber membrane bundles containing polyvinylpyrrolidone, degradation or decomposition of polyvinylpyrrolidone occurs due to overdrying or overheating, or wettability during use. It is preferable not to increase the output much because there is a problem such as a decrease. Further, the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be dried even with an output of less than 0.1 kW, but there is a possibility that a problem of reduction in throughput due to an increase in drying time may occur. The optimum value of the combination of the degree of decompression and the microwave output varies depending on the water content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the number of processed hollow fiber membrane bundles, and it is preferable to obtain a set value as appropriate through trial and error.
For example, as a temporary guide for carrying out the drying conditions of the present invention, when 20 hollow fiber membrane bundles having a moisture content of 50 g per hollow fiber membrane bundle are dried, the total moisture content is 50 g × 20 fibers = 1,000 g. At this time, it is appropriate that the microwave output is 1.5 kW and the decompression degree is 5 kPa.

  A more preferable microwave output is 0.1 to 80 kW, and a more preferable microwave output is 0.1 to 60 kW. The output of the microwave is determined by, for example, the total number of hollow fiber membrane bundles and the total water content. However, when the microwave is suddenly irradiated, drying is completed in a short time, but the hollow fiber membrane is partially denatured. May cause deformation such as curling. When drying using microwaves, for example, when using something like a water retention agent in the hollow fiber membrane, high power and extreme drying using microwaves will disappear due to scattering of the water retention agent It becomes the cause of. In particular, when accompanied by conditions of reduced pressure, considering the influence on the hollow fiber membrane, conventionally, it was not intended to irradiate microwaves under reduced pressure. Irradiation of microwaves under reduced pressure of the present invention means that the evaporation of aqueous liquid becomes active in a relatively low temperature state, so that degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone due to high output microwave and high temperature, deformation of hollow fiber membrane, etc. This has a double effect of preventing damage to the hollow fiber membrane.

  Although the present invention enables one-stage drying in which the microwave output is constant, i.e., drying by microwaves under reduced pressure, as another embodiment, the microwave output is sequentially changed according to the progress of drying. So-called multi-stage drying, which lowers in stages, is included as a preferred embodiment. Therefore, the significance of multi-stage drying will be described as follows. When drying with microwaves at a relatively low temperature of about 30 to 90 ° C. under reduced pressure, multi-stage drying in which the output of the microwaves is sequentially reduced in accordance with the progress of drying of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. The method is excellent. The degree of pressure reduction, temperature, microwave output, and irradiation time may be determined in consideration of the total amount of the hollow fiber membrane to be dried and the industrially acceptable drying time. Multistage drying can be performed in any number of stages, for example, 2 to 6 stages, but it is appropriate to use 2 to 3 stages of drying that is industrially appropriate in consideration of productivity. Depending on the total amount of water contained in the hollow fiber membrane bundle, when relatively large, multistage drying is performed at a temperature of 90 ° C. or lower, for example, at a reduced pressure of about 5 to 20 kPa, and the first stage is 30 to 100 kW. The range can be determined in consideration of the microwave irradiation time such that the second stage is in the range of 10 to 30 kW and the third stage is in the range of 0.1 to 10 kW. When the output of the microwave is large, such as 90 kW in the high part and 0.1 kW in the low part, the number of stages for reducing the output may be increased to 4 to 8 stages, for example. In the case of the present invention, since technical consideration is given to the microwave irradiation called decompression, there is an advantage that the microwave output can be relatively lowered. For example, the first stage is about 10 to 100 minutes by 10 to 20 kW microwave, the second stage is about 3 to 10 kW and about 5 to 80 minutes, and the third stage is about 0.1 to 3 kW and about 1 to 60 minutes. Dry in stages. It is preferable that the microwave output and irradiation time of each stage are lowered in conjunction with the reduction in the total amount of moisture contained in the hollow fiber membrane. This drying method is a very gentle drying method for hollow fiber membrane bundles and cannot be expected in the prior arts of the above-mentioned Patent Documents 8 to 10, and thus makes the effects of the present invention significant.

  In another aspect, when the water content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is 400% by mass or less, irradiation with a low-power microwave of 12 kW or less may be excellent. For example, when the water content of the total amount of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is about 1 to 7 kg, an output of 12 kW or less, for example 1 10 to 240 minutes with a microwave of about 5 kW, about 1 to 240 minutes with a microwave of less than 0.5 to 1 kW, more preferably about 3 to 240 minutes, 1 with a microwave of less than 0.1 to 0.5 kW Drying is performed uniformly by adjusting the irradiation power and irradiation time of the microphone mouth wave according to the degree of drying, which is irradiation for about 240 minutes. The degree of vacuum is set to 0.1 to 20 kPa for each stage, but the first stage having a relatively high moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane is increased to 0.1 to 5 kPa, for example, and the microwave output is increased. The degree of pressure reduction at each stage, in which the microwave is irradiated at a pressure slightly higher than the first stage of 0.1 to 5 kW under a reduced pressure of 5 to 20 kPa in the second stage and the third stage. It is possible to arbitrarily set the appropriate adjustment in accordance with the change in consideration of the transition of the total moisture content and the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. In each stage, the operation of changing the degree of reduced pressure further increases the significance of irradiating microwaves under reduced pressure according to the present invention. Of course, it is necessary to always consider the uniform irradiation and exhaust of the microwave in the microwave irradiation apparatus.

  The drying of hollow fiber membrane bundles can be achieved by irradiating with microwaves under reduced pressure and using a drying method that alternately reverses the direction of ventilation. It is. The microwave irradiation method and the alternating ventilation reverse method also have merits and demerits, and these can be used in combination when high quality is required. In the first stage, when the average alternating water content proceeds to about 20 to 60% by mass by adopting a ventilation alternate reversal method, it can be dried by irradiating microwaves under reduced pressure in the next stage. In this case, after drying by irradiating microwaves, a ventilation drying method that alternately reverses the ventilation direction can be used in combination. These can be determined in consideration of the quality of the hollow fiber membrane produced by drying, particularly the quality of the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle having no partial fixation in the length direction of the hollow fiber membrane. These drying methods can be performed simultaneously, but are not practical because of disadvantages such as complexity and complexity of the apparatus and high price. However, using an effective heating method such as far infrared rays is not excluded from the scope of the drying method of the present invention.

  The maximum temperature reached by the hollow fiber membrane bundle during drying can be measured by applying an irreversible thermolabel to the side of the film that protects the hollow fiber membrane bundle, drying, and checking the display after taking out the drying. . At this time, the maximum reached temperature of the hollow fiber membrane bundle during drying is preferably 90 ° C. or lower, more preferably 80 ° C. or lower. More preferably, it is 70 degrees C or less. If the maximum temperature reached exceeds 90 ° C., the film structure is likely to change, which may cause performance degradation or oxidative degradation. In particular, in a hollow fiber membrane bundle containing polyvinylpyrrolidone, it is necessary to prevent the temperature rise as much as possible because polyvinylpyrrolidone is easily decomposed by heat. Temperature rise can be prevented by optimizing the degree of decompression and microwave output and irradiating intermittently. Moreover, although the one where a drying temperature is lower is preferable, 30 degreeC or more is preferable from the surface of the maintenance cost of pressure reduction degree, and the shortening of drying time.

The microwave irradiation frequency is preferably 1,000 to 5,000 MHz in consideration of the suppression of irradiation spots on the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the effect of extruding water in the pores from the pores. More preferably, it is 1,500-4,000 MHz, More preferably, it is 2,000-3,000 MHz.
In drying by microwave irradiation, it is important to uniformly heat and dry the hollow fiber membrane bundle. In the above-described microwave drying, nonuniform heating due to the reflected wave that occurs accompanying the generation of the microwave occurs, so it is important to take measures to reduce the nonuniform heating due to the reflected wave. Although the method is not limited and is arbitrary, for example, a method in which a reflecting plate is provided in an oven disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-340356 to reflect reflected waves and make heating uniform is a preferred embodiment. One.

  After the water content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is reduced to 10 to 20% by mass, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is preferably dried by irradiation with far infrared rays. Although it is preferable to irradiate microwaves or perform heating (ventilation) drying in the sense that the material to be dried is dried more quickly, in the case of a separation membrane containing polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone progresses in drying, that is, the hollow fiber membrane. As the moisture content decreases, there is a problem that it is susceptible to degradation and decomposition by heat. Therefore, in the final stage of drying (low moisture content), it is a preferred embodiment to dry mildly with lower energy. Further, far-infrared rays are a kind of electromagnetic wave and are preferable because they penetrate into the material to be dried as in the case of microwaves, and thus have a characteristic that the material to be dried can be uniformly dried even at low energy.

  The irradiation wavelength of far infrared rays is preferably 1 to 30 μm. Since water and organic matter have a high absorption rate of far infrared rays having a wavelength of 3 to 12 μm, it is difficult to raise the temperature of the object to be dried even if the wavelength of the far infrared rays is too short or too long. Such costs may increase. Therefore, the wavelength of the far infrared ray to be irradiated is more preferably 1.5 to 26 μm, further preferably 2 to 22 μm, and further preferably 2.5 to 18 μm.

As a radiation medium for irradiating far infrared rays, a stainless steel medium having a metal oxide film on its surface is preferably used. For example, it is inexpensive to use a far-infrared radiator in which austenitic stainless steel powder is coated with an oxide metal such as Al ₂ O ₃ , Fe ₂ O ₃ , TiO ₂ , CaO, MgO, K ₂ O, and Na ₂ O. This is a more preferable embodiment because far infrared rays can be extracted efficiently.

  On the other hand, in the case of drying by far-infrared irradiation performed after the completion of microwave drying, unlike the case of microwave drying, the discharge phenomenon does not occur even if irradiation is performed under reduced pressure. It can be carried out. From the point of drying efficiency, 5 kPa or less is preferable, 4 kPa or less is more preferable, 3 kPa or less is more preferable, and 2 kPa or less is more preferable. The irradiation energy of the far-infrared irradiation is preferably controlled so as to be 80 ° C. or lower at a temperature detected by a thermocouple provided at the center of the oven. It is more preferable to control at 70 ° C. or lower. This far-infrared radiation is highly absorbed by water and converted to energy, has excellent thermal efficiency, and has the safety that temperature control according to the transition of drying can be made appropriate. Have advantages. This is significant in terms of dry finishing in order to maintain the surface effects including the drying method by far-infrared irradiation, the color of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the surface roughness, bending, cracking, smoothness and soft feeling.

A specific embodiment of a preferable drying method in the present invention includes: (1) a drying step of simultaneously irradiating the hollow fiber membrane bundle with microwave irradiation and far-infrared irradiation; (2) a drying step of performing microwave irradiation; It includes embodiments of a plurality of drying processes called drying processes that perform infrared irradiation. The proper drying method of the present invention employs a drying process in which (A) a hollow fiber membrane bundle is simultaneously subjected to (1) microwave irradiation and far-infrared irradiation, and the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is lowered to a constant value. In general, a drying method that employs a drying step of (3) far-infrared irradiation is common. Another aspect of the drying method is that (B) a hollow fiber membrane bundle adopts (2) a drying step in which microwave irradiation is performed, and the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is lowered to a constant value, (3) It is a drying method that employs a drying process that performs far-infrared irradiation. Of course, it is an essential requirement for each drying step to adopt appropriate temperature control, pressure control when performing under reduced pressure, and ventilation exhaust when necessary.
Theoretically, (1) Drying step and (2) Drying step are used together, (3) Drying step and (1) Drying step are used together, (2) Drying step and (3) Drying step are used together Although it is on-site operation of the drying apparatus for carrying out the drying method of the present invention, and the like, it is feasible, but compared to the drying methods of (A) and (B), the practical result is I have not examined it enough.

  As described above, the far-infrared irradiation may be started after the microwave irradiation is completed, or may be performed at the time of the microwave irradiation, and the microwave drying and the far-infrared drying may be performed simultaneously. By performing microwave and far-infrared irradiation simultaneously, evaporation of water that has been excited by microwave irradiation and moved to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane is accelerated by irradiation with far-infrared radiation, leading to improved drying efficiency. Further, this efficient evaporation of surface moisture suppresses the concentration fluctuation of the surface of the hollow fiber membrane of polyvinylpyrrolidone induced by the surface moisture, which is preferable because it leads to suppression of partial sticking. As described above, microwave drying is preferably performed under reduced pressure. Therefore, microwave drying and far-infrared drying are simultaneously performed under reduced pressure, and microwave irradiation is performed when the moisture content is reached. A method of stopping, continuing the far-infrared irradiation while maintaining the reduced pressure state, and continuing further drying is preferable. At this time, after the microwave irradiation is completed, the degree of decompression of the system may be lowered and conditioning may be performed, and then the degree of decompression may be increased again to start far-infrared irradiation. Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable to perform drying using a microwave dryer in which a far-infrared heater is attached in the heating oven and an exhaust system capable of reducing the pressure (vacuum) in the heating oven is attached. It is an aspect.

  When drying under conditions of reduced pressure and temperature by microwave drying and far-infrared drying, generally, for example, when high-power microwaves are applied in a short period of time under reduced pressure and high temperature, the moisture content decreases. However, the uneven distribution of moisture and polyvinyl pyrrolidone are also related to microwave heating. There is a risk that a structure that can cope with pressure cannot be guaranteed. The present invention appropriately adjusts the output of microwaves and far-infrared rays, and also adjusts the environment of temperature and pressure, thereby promoting the overall drying of the inside and outside of the hollow fiber membrane bundle by microwaves in particular. Thus, the drying of the whole including the surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle by the far infrared ray is promoted, and the microwave drying and the far infrared drying increase the synergistic drying effect.

  In the present invention, it is a preferred embodiment that an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is used when the inside of the drying system is returned to normal pressure after drying. Immediately after the drying, the temperature of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is high, so when returning the inside of the drying chamber to atmospheric pressure, when a gas containing oxygen such as air is fed, in the case of a hollow fiber membrane containing polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone May undergo oxidative degradation due to the effects of oxygen and heat. Therefore, when the inside of the drying chamber is returned to normal pressure after the drying is completed, the oxidative deterioration of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the hollow fiber membrane bundle is suppressed by feeding the inert gas.

  For the drying of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, the use of microwaves and far-infrared rays for an unlimited time does not affect the quality. This is because the influence of thermal deterioration of the polysulfone resin constituting the hollow fiber membrane bundle or of the polyvinylpyrrolidone material and environmental deterioration such as oxygen, water, and steam can be considered. Therefore, from the viewpoint of industrial production, it is necessary to consider an appropriate time that is naturally allowed for the drying time. From the viewpoint of protecting the quality of the hollow fiber membrane subjected to relatively harsh drying conditions such as microwaves and far infrared rays, from the viewpoint of industrial productivity, the inventors of the present invention are from the start to the end of drying. The drying time is preferably within 3 hours. More preferably within 2.5 hours, still more preferably within 2 hours.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the hollow fiber membrane does not dry out. When it is completely dried, the deterioration of polyvinyl pyrrolidone increases and the production of hydrogen peroxide may be greatly increased. In addition, wettability may be reduced during re-wetting during use, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone may be difficult to absorb water, and thus may be easily eluted from the hollow fiber membrane. The moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane after drying is preferably 1% by mass or more and less than the saturated moisture content. 1.5 mass% or more is more preferable. If the water content of the hollow fiber membrane is too high, bacteria may easily proliferate during storage, thread collapse may occur due to the weight of the hollow fiber membrane, and adhesion failure of the adhesive may occur during assembly of the blood purifier. Therefore, the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane is preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 7% by mass or less. In addition, the moisture content as used in the field of this invention measures the mass (g) of a hollow fiber membrane bundle, and after that, vacuum-drying is performed for 12 hours under reduced pressure (-750 mmHg or less), and the mass (g) after drying is measured. To do. The difference between before and after drying is determined as% (g) based on the weight (g) after drying. The water content is determined by the following formula.
(Weight loss / mass after drying) × 100 = moisture content (mass%)

  In addition, as described above, a method of removing hydrogen peroxide mixed from the raw material polyvinylpyrrolidone or generated in the manufacturing process of the hollow fiber membrane bundle by washing is also effective as a method for controlling the above-described characteristic values within a regulated range. is there.

  In the present invention, the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone to be described later and endotoxin, which is an endotoxin, are prevented from penetrating into the blood, and the hollow fiber membrane bundles are prevented from sticking together when the hollow fiber membrane bundles are dried. In order to balance the characteristics, it is preferable that the content of polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is in a specific range. As a method for satisfying this requirement, it can be achieved, for example, by setting the composition ratio of polyvinyl pyrrolidone to the polysulfone-based resin within the above-described range or optimizing the film forming conditions of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. It is also an effective method to wash the formed hollow fiber membrane bundle. Film formation conditions include optimization of the humidity at the air gap at the nozzle outlet, stretching conditions, coagulation bath temperature, composition ratio of solvent to non-solvent in the coagulation liquid, and introduction of a cleaning process is also effective. It is.

In the present invention, as described above, in the process of producing a hollow fiber membrane bundle, as a means for reducing the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide or bringing the content of polyvinylpyrrolidone on the outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle into a specific range. It is important to introduce a washing step before the drying step. For example, the hollow fiber membrane bundle that has passed through the water-washing bath is wound into a basket in a wet state to form a bundle of 3,000 to 20,000. Next, the obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle is washed to remove excess solvent, polyvinylpyrrolidone. As a method for washing the hollow fiber membrane bundle, in the present invention, it is preferable to treat the hollow fiber membrane bundle by immersing it in hot water at 70 to 130 ° C. or room temperature to 50 ° C. and 10 to 40 vol% ethanol or isopropanol aqueous solution. .
(1) In the case of hot water washing, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is immersed in excess RO water and treated at 70 to 90 ° C. for 15 to 60 minutes, and then the hollow fiber membrane bundle is taken out and subjected to centrifugal dehydration. This operation is repeated several times while updating the RO water to perform the cleaning process.
(2) A method of treating a hollow fiber membrane bundle immersed in excess RO water in a pressurized container at 121 ° C. for about 2 hours may be employed.
(3) When using an ethanol or isopropanol aqueous solution, it is preferable to repeat the same operation as in (1).
(4) It is also a preferable washing method that the hollow fiber membrane bundle is radially arranged in the centrifugal washer, and centrifugal washing is performed for 30 minutes to 5 hours while spraying washing water at 40 ° C. to 90 ° C. from the rotation center in a shower shape. .
Two or more cleaning methods may be combined. In any method, when the processing temperature is too low, it is necessary to increase the number of times of cleaning, which may lead to an increase in cost. On the other hand, if the treatment temperature is too high, the decomposition of polyvinylpyrrolidone is accelerated, and conversely, the cleaning efficiency may be reduced. By performing the above washing, the content of the outer surface polyvinyl pyrrolidone can be optimized, it is possible to suppress sticking and reduce the amount of the eluate, and also to reduce the hydrogen peroxide elution amount.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane after irradiation has a carboxyl group content of 100 to 800 nmol / g and a peroxide content of 200 nmol / g or less. The carboxyl group content is involved in antithrombogenicity, especially platelet activation, and the peroxide content is important for maintaining antithrombogenicity during long-term storage, and these contents are irradiated It is disclosed in Patent Document 9 that the increase is increased. In this patent document, it is considered that the carboxyl group in the hollow fiber membrane is mainly generated by hydrolysis of the pyrrolidone ring of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). It is presumed to be generated by reaction. Although the detailed mechanism of action of the carboxyl group on platelet activation is unknown, if the content is too high, the amount of platelet adhesion to the membrane increases. When platelets recognize xenobiotics, they adhere to the surface and lead to thrombus formation. Therefore, it can be said that the increase in carboxyl groups by irradiation is a bad direction for antithrombogenicity. On the other hand, when the carboxyl group content is too low, it means that the radiation exposure amount of the film is not sufficient, which leads to an increase in the elution amount of PVP and a decrease in sterilization efficiency, which is not desirable for medical use. Accordingly, the carboxyl group content needs to be suppressed to a range of 100 nmol / g or more and less than 800 nmol / g. In general, an anticoagulant is administered for the purpose of preventing blood coagulation during clinical use. However, since it is desirable to reduce the amount used, it is more preferably 100 to 600 nmol / g. More preferably, ˜400 nmol / g.

  Like the carboxyl group, the peroxide in the film is also generated in the main chain of PVP by irradiation and is considered to decompose during long-term storage due to its chemical instability. Further, PVP already contains a peroxide at the stage of manufacturing raw materials, and may be taken into the film as it is. When irradiated in this state, radicals generated by irradiation are triggered and decomposed, and as a result, PVP depolymerized by molecular cleavage starting from peroxide is detached from the film, and the film surface is used during use. The upper PVP is reduced and the antithrombogenicity is reduced. In order to virtually eliminate the influence of decomposition, the peroxide content is preferably suppressed to 200 nmol / g or less, more preferably 100 nmol / g or less.

  In order to satisfy these characteristics, conventionally, as described above, the above-described characteristics have been achieved by irradiation with radiation in the presence of a radical scavenger in a method applied to a wet type blood purifier. However, it has the above-mentioned problems, and improvement has been desired. The present inventors have aimed to provide a dry type blood purifier that solves the above-mentioned problems and a method that can avoid the above problems even if irradiation is performed in the absence of a radical scavenger.

  Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the water content in the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle is 600% by mass or less, and that no radical scavenger is contained in the blood purifier when irradiated with radiation.

  When the water content exceeds 600% by mass, the weight of the blood purifier increases, resulting in problems such as reduced handling and increased transportation costs, easy generation of bacteria, and freezing in cold regions. There are things to do. Moreover, since polyvinylpyrrolidone is too cross-linked, the blood coagulation reaction may be activated when used for blood purification. On the other hand, when the water content is less than 0.8% by mass, deterioration of polyvinyl pyrrolidone due to irradiation is accelerated, and it is determined by increased production of hydrogen peroxide, carboxyl groups, peroxides, etc. May cause an increase in UV (220 to 350 nm) absorbance, long-term storage stability, blood compatibility, and a decrease in the stability of the extracted liquid of the hollow fiber membrane. Therefore, 1.0-300 mass% is more preferable, and 1.5-200 mass% is further more preferable.

  In order to impart the above-mentioned properties by irradiating with radiation in the dry state and in the absence of a radical scavenger, the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane before irradiation is used as described above, as described above. It is important but only one of the requirements. After satisfying this requirement, it is necessary to take measures to suppress the deterioration reaction caused by irradiation.

  It is difficult to suppress the deterioration reaction due to irradiation in the dry state and in the absence of a radical scavenger, which is the object of the present invention, and conventionally, this is unavoidably performed by a wet method and in the presence of a radical scavenger. It was. The present inventors diligently studied to solve the problem, and the degradation reaction was promoted by oxygen gas adsorbed on the localized portion of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone of the polysulfone-based selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane, and the local reaction of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone. The present invention was completed by finding a method for suppressing the degradation reaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone based on the presumed mechanism of being suppressed by water adsorbed on the existing portion. Although it is a well-known phenomenon that the above degradation reaction is affected by oxygen, the present inventors have found for the first time that the degradation reaction is suppressed by a trace amount of water adsorbed on the localized portion of polyvinylpyrrolidone. Phenomenon. Preferred embodiments are described below.

  The present inventors adjusted the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane to 5% by mass or more using degassed water when irradiating the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane having the above-described characteristics in a dry state. It has been found that the blood purifier can suppress the degradation reaction of polyvinyl pyrrolidone even in the absence of a radical scavenger.

  That is, all the blood and dialysate entrances and exits of a blood purifier filled with a polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle containing polyvinylpyrrolidone adjusted to a moisture content of 5 to 600% by mass using deaerated water It is preferable to irradiate with radiation by sealing with a packaging bag that blocks outside air and water vapor in a sealed state.

  In the present invention, the deaerated water present in and around the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane is preferably deoxygenated water. Further, it is more preferably inert gas saturated water.

  The deoxygenated water is water having a dissolved oxygen content of 0.5 ppm or less. The dissolved oxygen content is more preferably 0.2 ppm or less, and further preferably 0.1 ppm or less.

Usually, about 20 l of air per 1 m ³ is dissolved in water, and oxygen gas of 8 mg / l water is dissolved in normal tap water. The method for preparing the deoxygenated water is not limited as long as the amount of dissolved oxygen is satisfied. Those prepared by a generally known degassing method can be applied. Examples thereof include a heat degassing method, a vacuum degassing method, a nitrogen gas bubbling method, a membrane degassing method, a reducing agent addition method, and a reducing method. The membrane deaeration method is particularly preferable because the amount of dissolved oxygen can be reduced to the ppb level. The membrane degassing method may be prepared by either a non-porous membrane method or a porous membrane method.

  It is preferable to use the deoxygenated water that has been subjected to reverse osmosis treatment (RO treatment).

  The dissolved oxygen concentration was measured with a dissolved oxygen concentration meter.

  If only the above deoxygenated water is used, oxygen contained in the surrounding air is dissolved again, and the re-dissolved oxygen gas is adsorbed on the localized portion of polyvinylpyrrolidone, so that the above undesirable deterioration occurs. It becomes difficult to completely suppress the reaction. This problem can be solved by using an inert gas saturated water such as nitrogen. That is, by containing an inert gas in a saturated state, even when irradiation is performed in an environment where oxygen is included in the surroundings, dissolution of oxygen gas in water is suppressed, and the state in which the concentration of oxygen contained in water is low is reduced. Will be kept.

  The method for preparing the inert gas saturated water is not particularly limited, and a method of bubbling an inert gas such as nitrogen can be suitably used. As known in the art, the inert gas bubbling method is known as a method for removing dissolved oxygen from water, but dissolved oxygen is eventually removed by the introduction of inert gas. It is also preferable to dissolve the active gas. Specifically, removal of oxygen and dissolution of inert gas by bubbling inert gas into water from which oxygen has been removed in advance, such as by heat degassing, vacuum degassing, membrane degassing, and reducing agent addition. Is done efficiently. Here, the dissolved oxygen amount of the inert gas saturated water is preferably 0.5 ppm or less, more preferably 0.2 ppm or less, and further preferably 0.1 ppm or less. The water used here is preferably RO-treated water.

  By using the degassed water, the degradation of the hollow fiber membrane due to radiation irradiation, particularly the degradation reaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone, is more efficiently suppressed than when non-degassed water is used. Increase in UV (220-350 nm) absorbance in the extract of hollow fiber membranes when performing tests stipulated by the approval standards for the manufacture of dialysis-type artificial kidney devices, anti-thrombogenicity, long-term The effect of suppressing an undesirable deterioration reaction that causes a decrease in storage stability and performance development during priming is increased.

  In the present invention, the oxygen concentration in the blood purifier is preferably 3.6% by volume or less. 1.0% by volume or less is more preferable, and 0.1% by volume or less is more preferable. When the oxygen concentration exceeds 3.6% by volume, the hollow fiber membrane, particularly polyvinyl pyrrolidone, may be deteriorated when irradiated with radiation or an electron beam even if the above-described requirements are satisfied. The expression of the effect of the present invention is further stabilized by adjusting the oxygen concentration.

  In the above method, the mechanism by which the degradation reaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone during irradiation is suppressed is presumed as follows. The polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the hollow fiber membrane is localized in the hollow fiber membrane without being uniformly dispersed, and water present inside and on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane is selectively around the highly hydrophilic polyvinyl pyrrolidone. It is presumed that it is localized by being adsorbed on the surface. It is presumed that the presence of water around the polyvinyl pyrrolidone blocks the attack of oxygen activated by radiation irradiation on the polyvinyl pyrrolidone and suppresses the degradation reaction. Therefore, it is guessed that the effect is expressed more effectively by deaeration water conversion. In addition, in the present invention, a hollow fiber membrane is used in which the amount of hydrogen peroxide that is activated by radiation and causes a deterioration reaction is suppressed in the same manner as oxygen, so that the deterioration reaction is also suppressed. It is presumed that the effect of the present invention is manifested by heavy effects.

  The method for reducing the oxygen concentration in the blood purifier is not limited, but it is preferable to fill the blood purifier with an inert gas. As described above, the blood purifier is assembled using the hollow fiber membrane bundle dried by the above-described method, deoxygenated water is injected and filled into the blood purifier, and the air present in the blood purifier is expelled. A method of simultaneously performing deoxygenation and oxygen concentration reduction by injecting and filling an inert gas into the module after filling the moisture in the hollow fiber membrane and the periphery of the hollow fiber membrane with deoxygenated water is preferable. The inert gas is preferably nitrogen gas from the viewpoint of economy.

  In the above method, it is preferable to seal all the blood and dialysate inlet / outlet of the blood purifier after adjusting the water content and oxygen concentration in the blood purifier. By this method, the volatilization of water from the hollow fiber membrane filled in the blood purifier is suppressed, and the invasion of oxygen gas contained in the outside air into the blood purifier is suppressed, so that the effect of the present invention is achieved. Is effectively expressed. Moreover, invasion of various germs into the blood purifier can be prevented. Moreover, since the volatilization of moisture from the hollow fiber membrane is suppressed for a long period of time, shrinkage due to the hollow fiber membrane being dried over time and deterioration of the membrane characteristics are suppressed. Therefore, the effect that the generation | occurrence | production of a defect, the fall of a membrane characteristic, etc. at the time of storing a blood purifier for a long term is suppressed appears. For example, when the shrinkage of the hollow fiber membrane occurs, peeling of the interface between the hollow fiber membrane and the adhesive at the fixing portion to the blood purifier due to the adhesive of the hollow fiber membrane occurs, leading to the occurrence of liquid leakage at the portion. Further, in the case of a method in which crimping is applied to the hollow fiber membrane to suppress the dialysis fluid drift, the crimping of the dialysis fluid may increase due to the relaxation of the crimp due to drying of the hollow fiber membrane.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the blood purifier hermetically sealed by the above method is sealed with the aforementioned packaging bag and irradiated with radiation. By sealing with the packaging bag, contamination of the outer surface of the blood purifier, adhesion of germs and the like are prevented. In the method, the atmospheric gas in the packaging bag is not particularly limited. Air may be used, but an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas is more preferable because it suppresses the growth of germs mixed after sterilization and complements the effect of the sealing plug. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to irradiate with radiation and electron beams after sealing tightly as will be described later. Therefore, there is an advantage that oxygen gas can be prevented from entering the blood purifier from outside air during this period. is there. As an inert gas atmosphere, it is preferable to seal the oxygen scavenger together with the blood purifier.

  The oxygen scavenger is not limited as long as it has a oxygen scavenging function. For example, sulfite, bisulfite, dithionite, hydroquinone, catechol, resorcin, pyrogallol, gallic acid, longalit, ascorbic acid and / or its salts, sorbose, glucose, lignin, dibutylhydroxytoluene, dibutylhydroxyanisole, Examples of the oxygen scavenger include a ferrous salt, metal powder such as iron powder, and the like as an oxygen-absorbing main agent, which can be appropriately selected. In addition, oxygen scavengers for metal powders are used as an oxidation catalyst, if necessary, such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, aluminum chloride, ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, sodium bromide, odor. One or two kinds of metal halides such as potassium iodide, magnesium bromide, calcium bromide, iron bromide, nickel bromide, sodium iodide, potassium iodide, magnesium iodide, calcium iodide, iron iodide, etc. The above may be added. Moreover, adding a deodorant, a deodorant, and another functional filler is not restrict | limited at all. Further, the shape of the oxygen scavenger is not particularly limited, and may be any of powder, granule, lump, sheet, etc., or a sheet in which various oxygen absorbent compositions are dispersed in a thermoplastic resin or A film-like oxygen scavenger may be used.

  The above-described method can be adopted as a method for sterilization more easily and at low cost when the moisture content in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane is 5% by mass or more. When the water content is less than 5% by mass, use the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane having the above-mentioned characteristics and optimize the oxygen concentration and humidity of the atmosphere surrounding the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane during the radiation irradiation treatment. The method of doing is mentioned. Of course, even when the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane is 5% by mass or more, there is no problem even if the method is additionally used. The first requirement in the method is a requirement relating to the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere surrounding the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane during sterilization. Radiation irradiation is preferably performed in a state where the oxygen concentration is 3.6% by volume or less. It is more preferably 1% by volume or less, and further preferably 0.1% by volume or less. If it exceeds 3.6% by volume, hydrogen peroxide production due to deterioration of polyvinylpyrrolidone may increase and the above characteristics may not be satisfied.

The second requirement in the above method is a requirement relating to the amount of water adsorbed on the localized portion of polyvinylpyrrolidone of the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane. When implemented by the above method, it is preferable to optimize the moisture content in the hollow fiber membrane and the humidity in the packaging bag. The water content is preferably 0.8% by mass or more. Further, the humidity in the packaging bag is preferably such that the relative humidity at 25 ° C. exceeds 40% RH. The relative humidity of the space in the packaging bag is more preferably 50 to 90% RH (25 ° C.), and further preferably 60 to 80% RH (25 ° C.).
When the relative humidity of the space inside the packaging bag is 40% RH (25 ° C.) or lower, the hollow fiber membrane component is formed by a very small amount of oxygen gas even in the deoxygenated state when irradiated with radiation such as γ-ray irradiation. In particular, oxidative degradation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone occurs, and hydrogen peroxide is generated, leading to the above-described undesirable degradation reaction. Conversely, if the relative humidity exceeds 90% RH (25 ° C.), condensation may occur in the packaging bag, and the quality of the blood purifier may be reduced.

  The relative humidity referred to in the present invention is represented by the formula of relative humidity (% RH) = p / P × 100 using a water vapor partial pressure (p) at 25 ° C. and a saturated water vapor pressure (P) at 25 ° C. The measurement was performed by inserting and sealing a sensor of a temperature / humidity measuring device (Ondotori RH type, manufactured by T & D) into the packaging bag.

  The mechanism by which the degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone is suppressed by making the relative humidity of the space inside the packaging bag over 40% RH (25 ° C.) is presumed as follows. Degradation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone is accelerated by the presence of oxygen. In the present invention, the inside of the packaging bag is in a state in which oxidation is suppressed, that is, maintained in a substantially oxygen-free state, but a complete oxygen-free state is difficult, and a trace amount of oxygen gas is present. . Accordingly, the degradation reaction is promoted by the contact of polyvinyl pyrrolidone present on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane with this trace amount of oxygen gas present in the space inside the packaging bag. Therefore, the degradation reaction of polyvinyl pyrrolidone starts with polyvinyl pyrrolidone present on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane. Although the reason is unknown, it has been empirically recognized that the above degradation reaction is suppressed by increasing the water content in the hollow fiber membrane. The polyvinyl pyrrolidone present in the hollow fiber membrane is localized. Therefore, when the relative humidity in the packaging bag becomes high, water vapor existing in the packaging bag is selectively adsorbed on the localized portion of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane, and the absorbed water deteriorates the polyvinyl pyrrolidone. It is considered that the reaction is suppressed. Therefore, it is presumed that a great suppression effect is expressed by increasing the humidity. On the other hand, it is known that a hollow fiber membrane containing polyvinylpyrrolidone has a humidity control function, that is, an absorption and desorption property (for example, JP-A-2004-97918). Therefore, when the relative humidity in the packaging bag is low, the moisture adsorbed on the polyvinylpyrrolidone present on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane is released to the space inside the packaging bag, and in particular, the polyvinylpyrrolidone present on the extreme surface subject to the above-mentioned deterioration. It is presumed that the amount of adsorbed moisture becomes low and deterioration is accelerated. It is presumed that the relative humidity in the packaging bag greatly affects the suppression of the degradation reaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone due to the synergistic effect of these phenomena.

As a method of satisfying the above two requirements, for example, a blood purifier filled with a polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle containing polyvinylpyrrolidone having a water content of 0.8 to 600% by mass is combined with an oxygen scavenger along with oxygen permeation. Sealed with a packaging bag having a degree of 10 cm ³ / m ² · 24 h · MPa (20 ° C., 90% RH) or less and a water vapor permeability of 50 g / m ² · 24 h · MPa (40 ° C., 90% RH) or less. And a method of irradiating with radiation in a state where the relative humidity at 25 ° C. of the atmosphere in the packaging bag exceeds 40% RH.

  The oxygen scavenger used in the above method is used to absorb oxygen in the packaging bag and form a substantial oxygen scavenging state. Therefore, it is not limited as long as it has a deoxygenating function. For example, those described above are suitable.

The packaging bag used in the present invention needs to have a function of forming a space that is deoxygenated by the oxygen scavenger and maintaining the deoxygenated state for a long period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to be made of a material having a low oxygen gas permeability. The oxygen permeability is preferably 10 cm ³ / m ² · 24 h · MPa (20 ° C., 90% RH) or less. 8 cm ³ / m ² · 24 h · MPa (20 ° C., 90% RH) or less is more preferable, 6 cm ³ / m ² · 24 h · MPa (20 ° C., 90% RH) or less is more preferable, and 4 cm ³ / m ² · MP ² or less. 24 h · MPa (20 ° C., 90% RH) or less is even more preferable.
If the oxygen permeability exceeds 10 cm ³ / m ² · 24 h · MPa (20 ° C, 90% RH), oxygen gas will pass through the packaging bag from the outside even if it is sealed with the packaging bag. This is not preferable because the oxygen concentration increases and the substantial deoxygenation state cannot be maintained.

As described above, in the present invention, the hollow fiber membrane filled in the blood purifier needs to maintain a specific moisture content. Therefore, the packaging bag in the present invention is preferably made of a material having a low water vapor permeability. 50 g / m ² · 24 h · MPa (40 ° C., 90% RH) or less is preferable. 40 g / m ² · 24 h · MPa (40 ° C., 90% RH) or less is more preferable, 30 g / m ² · 24 h · MPa (40 ° C., 90% RH) or less is more preferable, and 20 g / m ² · 24 h · MPa (40 ° C., 90% RH) or less is more preferable. When the pressure exceeds 50 g / m ² · 24 h · MPa (40 ° C., 90% RH), even if sealed with a packaging bag, water vapor passes through the packaging bag, so that the drying of the hollow fiber membrane proceeds. This is not preferable because the preferable water content cannot be maintained.

  The material and configuration of the packaging bag used in the present invention are arbitrary without limitation as long as they have the characteristics described above. In a preferred embodiment, the material is made of an impermeable material for both oxygen gas and water vapor such as aluminum foil, aluminum vapor deposited film, inorganic oxide vapor deposited film such as silica and / or alumina, and vinylidene chloride polymer composite film. is there. Further, the sealing method in the packaging bag is not limited and is arbitrary, and examples thereof include a heat sealing method, an impulse sealing method, a fusing sealing method, a frame sealing method, an ultrasonic sealing method, and a high frequency sealing method. A composite material composed of a composite of the film material and the above-described impermeable material is preferable. In particular, both the impervious and heat-sealable functions, in which the outer layer is made of polyester film, the intermediate layer is made of aluminum foil, and the inner layer is made of polyethylene film, are made of aluminum foil that can substantially block oxygen gas and water vapor. It is preferable to apply a laminated sheet having the same.

  The method for setting the humidity in the packaging bag within the above range is not limited. For example, (1) When a blood purifier is sealed with a packaging bag, a humidity-controlled gas is injected into the packaging bag or sealed in a conditioned environment. (2) Depending on the moisture content of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane Examples thereof include a method of adjusting, (3) using a deoxidizing agent that releases moisture, and (4) simultaneously sealing a humidity control agent together with the deoxidizing agent.

  The said humidity control agent will not be restrict | limited, if it has the characteristic which makes the relative humidity of the space in a packaging bag the said range by an absorption and moisture release function. As the humidity control agent, B-type silica gel is widely used, but is not limited. For example, as a humidity control agent similar to B-type silica gel, absorption and release can be achieved by sharpening the pore distribution of silica gel or by combining a humidity control agent composed of an alkali metal compound or an alkaline earth metal compound. Examples thereof include porous inorganic particles such as improved B-type silica gel, mesoporous silica alumina gel, mesoporous hollow aluminum silicate, zeolite and the like having improved wet characteristics. Also, particles made of water-absorbing polymer such as sodium acrylate cross-linked polymer, polyethylene glycol chain, polyvinylpyrrolidone chain, etc., blended or alloyed, composite particles in which the water-absorbing polymer is combined with inorganic microcapsules, etc. It may be. The shape of the humidity control agent is not particularly limited, and may be any of powder, granule, lump, sheet, and the like. It is preferable to use powdery and granular materials by packaging them with a moisture-permeable packaging material. Moreover, you may use as a composite_body | complex combined with a film, a sheet | seat, paper, a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, etc. In this case, the composite substrate is preferably made of a hydrophilic material. Further, the humidity control agent particles may be combined with a hydrophilic binder and combined with a base material made of a general-purpose material such as polyester or polyolefin. In the case of a humidity control agent comprising a water-absorbing polymer, the polymer may be used directly as a film or sheet. Moreover, you may use in shapes, such as paper, a nonwoven fabric, and a woven fabric, as a fiber. Moreover, you may use it as a shape of a foam sheet or a home using a foaming agent. For example, humidity control sheets impregnated with water-absorbing sheets (paper, non-woven fabrics, woven fabrics) with inorganic salt humidity control agents such as ammonium chloride, water, surfactants, etc., sodium polyacrylate, inorganics such as magnesium metasilicate aluminate A sheet-like hydrogel fixed with a network-structured water-absorbing polymer crosslinked with a crosslinking agent can be suitably used.

  It is preferable to use the humectant after seasoning in an environment having a relative humidity of 80 to 90% RH at 25 ° C. in advance.

  When implemented by the above method, the atmosphere around the hollow fiber membrane filled in the blood purifier needs to be maintained in a substantially deoxygenated state. Therefore, the opening of the blood purifier needs to be in an open state.

  The above-described method using deaerated water is referred to as a deaerated water method, and the method using an oxygen scavenger is referred to as an oxygen scavenger method.

  In the present invention, in the oxygen scavenger method, it is preferable to irradiate the radiation after sealing the packaging bag, or in the case of the degassing water method, after at least 48 hours have passed after sealing. . More preferably 72 hours or more. However, if the time until irradiation with radiation after sealing or sealing is too long, miscellaneous bacteria may grow. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the irradiation within 10 days after sealing or sealing. More preferably, it is within 7 days, and more preferably within 5 days. There is no limitation on the temperature at the time from sealing to irradiation with radiation, for example, room temperature. If the irradiation treatment is performed in a state of less than 48 hours, the expression of water permeability performance during priming may be reduced.

  The reason why the expression of water permeability during priming changes depending on the elapsed time until irradiation treatment is unknown, but in the oxygen scavenger method, the trace amount of oxygen adsorbed on the hollow fiber membrane surface is deoxygenated. Desorption due to the deoxygenation effect by the agent, and in the case of the degassing water method, the method moves to the degassing water method localized around the trace amount of oxygen adsorbed on the hollow fiber membrane surface. Therefore, it is presumed that this is caused by suppressing the deterioration reaction that inhibits the affinity between the film surface and water caused by radiation irradiation.

  As the radiation used in the present invention, α rays, β rays, γ rays, neutron rays, X rays, electron rays, ultraviolet rays, and ion beams are used. From the viewpoint of sterilization efficiency and ease of handling, γ rays or electron rays are used. Preferably used. The irradiation dose of radiation is not particularly limited as long as it is a dose capable of sterilization and crosslinking, but generally 10 to 30 kGy is preferable.

  The oxygen scavenger method and the degassed water method described above have the following characteristics, respectively.

  The oxygen scavenger method can also be applied to a blood purifier filled with a low moisture content hollow fiber membrane having a moisture content of less than 5% by mass in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane, and is suitable for weight reduction. However, an oxygen scavenger is necessary, and the packaging bag needs to use a material having high oxygen and water vapor barrier properties, which is disadvantageous in terms of economy. On the other hand, the degassing water method is advantageous in terms of economy because it is not essential to use an oxygen scavenger and a general-purpose material can be used for the packaging bag. However, the moisture content in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane is required to be 5% by mass or more, which is disadvantageous in terms of weight reduction. Each has contradictory characteristics, and can be selected and used as appropriate according to market requirements. For example, in the case of products for extremely cold regions, the oxygen scavenger method is suitable.

  In the present invention, as described above, the elution of polyvinyl pyrrolidone from the hollow fiber membrane bundle is preferably 10 ppm or less.

  When the elution amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone exceeds 10 ppm, side effects and complications during long-term dialysis may occur due to the eluted polyvinylpyrrolidone. A method for satisfying the characteristics is optional without limitation, and can be achieved, for example, by setting the composition ratio of polyvinyl pyrrolidone to the polysulfone-based resin within the above range or optimizing the film forming conditions of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. More preferably, the elution amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone is 8 ppm or less, more preferably 6 ppm or less, and still more preferably 4 ppm or less. The elution amount of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone is determined by quantification using an extract extracted by a method according to the elution test method of the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard. That is, the hollow fiber membrane is arbitrarily taken out from the dried hollow fiber membrane bundle and weighed 1.0 g. The extract obtained by adding 100 ml of RO water to this and performing extraction at 70 ° C. for 1 hour is quantified.

  A measure for reducing the elution amount of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone is not limited and can be achieved, for example, by optimizing the composition ratio of polyvinyl pyrrolidone relative to the polysulfone resin and the film forming conditions of the hollow fiber membrane. In particular, optimization of the cleaning method is important.

  In the hollow fiber membrane for a blood purifier, the characteristics on the outer surface side as well as the characteristics on the inner surface side are important.

  In this invention, it is preferable that content in the outer surface outermost layer of the hollow fiber membrane of the above-mentioned polyvinyl pyrrolidone is 25-50 mass%. When the content of polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the outermost surface layer is less than 25% by mass, the content of polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the entire membrane, particularly the inner surface of the membrane becomes too low, and blood compatibility and permeation performance may be deteriorated. In the case of a dry film, the priming property may be lowered. When the hemodialyzer is used for blood purification therapy, it is necessary to perform wetting and defoaming by allowing physiological saline or the like to flow inside and outside the hollow fiber membrane of the hemodialyzer. In this priming operation, the roundness of the hollow fiber membrane, edge crushing, deformation, hydrophilicity of the membrane material, etc. are thought to affect the priming properties, but the hollow fiber membrane made of polysulfone resin and polyvinylpyrrolidone In the case of a dry membrane blood purifier, the hydrophilic / hydrophobic balance of the hollow fiber membrane greatly affects the priming property. Therefore, the content of polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the outer surface is more preferably 27% by mass or more, further preferably 29% by mass or more, and further preferably 31% by mass or more. In addition, if the content of polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the outermost surface layer exceeds 50% by mass, the endotoxin (endotoxin) contained in the dialysate may enter the blood, leading to side effects such as fever. When the membrane is dried, polyvinyl pyrrolidone present on the outer surface of the membrane intervenes and the hollow fiber membranes stick to each other (adhere), which may cause problems such as deterioration in workability of the blood purifier assembly. Therefore, 47 mass% or less is more preferable, 43 mass% or less is further more preferable, and 41 mass% or less is further more preferable.

  As a method for bringing the content and pore diameter of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the innermost surface layer and outermost surface layer of the hollow fiber membrane described above into the above ranges, for example, the content of polyvinyl pyrrolidone relative to the polysulfone resin in the membrane-forming solution is 65:35 to 90:10, or by optimizing the film forming conditions of the hollow fiber membrane. It is also an effective method to wash the formed hollow fiber membrane. As film forming conditions, humidity adjustment of the air gap part at the nozzle outlet, stretching conditions, temperature of the coagulation bath, optimization of the composition ratio of the solvent and the non-solvent in the coagulation liquid, etc. Washing, alcohol washing, centrifugal washing and the like are effective. Among these methods, as the film forming conditions, optimization of the humidity of the air gap and the composition ratio of the solvent and the non-solvent in the external coagulating liquid is particularly effective as the cleaning method.

  The air gap portion is preferably surrounded by a member for blocking outside air, and the humidity inside the air gap is preferably adjusted by the composition of the spinning dope, the nozzle temperature, the air gap length, the temperature of the external coagulation bath, and the composition. For example, a spinning stock solution composed of polyethersulfone / polyvinylpyrrolidone / dimethylacetamide / RO water = 10-25 / 0.5 to 12.5 / 52.5 to 89.5 / 0 to 10.0 is prepared at 30 to 60 ° C. When discharging from a nozzle, passing through an air gap of 50 to 1000 mm, and leading to an external coagulation bath having a concentration of 0 to 70 mass% and a temperature of 50 to 80 ° C., the absolute humidity of the air gap portion is 0.01 to 0.3 kg / kg dry air. By adjusting the humidity of the air gap to such a range, it becomes possible to control the outer surface open area ratio, the outer surface average pore area, and the outer surface water polyvinylpyrrolidone content to an appropriate range.

  The air gap length is more preferably 100 to 900 mm, further preferably 200 to 800 mm. If the air gap length is too long, fusing due to yarn breakage and yarn swinging tends to occur, and spinning stability may decrease. On the other hand, if the air gap length is too short, the progress of phase separation becomes insufficient, and a uniform pore diameter may not be obtained.

  When spinning the hollow fiber membrane, the dope is discharged from the double tube type nozzle together with the hollow forming agent, led to the coagulation bath through the free running portion, and solidified.

  As the internal coagulation liquid, a 0 to 80% by mass dimethylacetamide (DMAc) aqueous solution is preferable. More preferably, it is 20-70 mass%, More preferably, it is 25-60 mass%, More preferably, it is 35-50 mass%. By controlling the concentration of the internal coagulation liquid within this range, it is possible to obtain a pore diameter that achieves both solute permeability and polyvinylpyrrolidone and endotoxin cutting properties. Although the detailed reason is not known, the use of a mixed solution of dimethylacetamide and water causes a change in the mobility of the polysulfone resin and polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity of the blood contact side surface of the hollow fiber membrane after film formation The ratio is thought to be reasonably balanced. If the concentration of the internal coagulation solution is too low, the dense layer on the blood contact surface becomes thick, which may reduce the solute permeability. If the concentration of the internal coagulation solution is too high, the formation of a dense layer tends to be incomplete, and polyvinylpyrrolidone and endotoxin (fragment) contained in the membrane are likely to elute to the blood side, resulting in poor biocompatibility (blood). Sometimes.

  As the external coagulation liquid, it is preferable to use an NMP or DMAc aqueous solution of 10 to 80 ° C. and 0 to 40% by mass. If the temperature and concentration of the external coagulation liquid are too high, the dialysate side surface pore ratio and the dialysate side surface average pore area will be too large, increasing the backflow of endotoxin (fragment) to the blood side when using dialysis. there is a possibility. If the temperature and concentration of the external coagulation liquid are too low, it is necessary to use a large amount of water in order to dilute the solvent brought in from the spinning stock solution, and the cost for waste liquid treatment increases. Therefore, the temperature and concentration of the external coagulation liquid are more preferably 20 to 80 ° C. and 0 to 35% by mass, further preferably 30 to 80 ° C. and 0 to 30% by mass, and still more preferably 40 to 80 ° C. and 5 to 30%. It is 50 mass%, Most preferably, it is 50-80 degreeC and 10-30 mass%.

  In the production of the hollow fiber membrane of the present invention, it is preferable that stretching is not substantially applied after the hollow fiber membrane structure is completely fixed. “Substantially no stretching” means that the hollow fiber membrane drawn from the external coagulation liquid is run with only a tension that does not cause slack in the hollow fiber membrane that runs in the subsequent process, and is finally wound on a bag. Means that. If a hollow fiber membrane with a completely fixed membrane structure is stretched, pore deformation, crushing, tearing, and orientation may occur, increasing the elution of polyvinylpyrrolidone, and endotoxin may easily leach into the blood side. is there. Due to the friction with the contact member and the liquid resistance during the film forming process, the hollow fiber membrane that is running is stretched, so that it is difficult to form the film at the same speed of all the rollers. The tension that does not cause slackness specifically means that the roller speed during the spinning process is controlled so that slack or excessive tension does not occur in the spinning dope discharged from the nozzle. The drawing ratio here is the speed ratio between the rollers. A preferable range of the stretch ratio between the rollers is 0.01 to 1.5%. A more preferable range is 0.05 to 1%, and a further preferable range is 0.1 to 0.7%.

  The discharge linear speed / coagulation bath first roller speed ratio (draft ratio) is preferably in the range of 0.7 to 1.8. If the ratio is less than 0.7, the running hollow fiber membrane may be loosened, which may lead to a decrease in productivity. Therefore, the draft ratio is more preferably 0.8 or more, and further preferably 0.9 or more. 0.95 or more is even more preferable. When the draft ratio exceeds 1.8, the membrane structure may be destroyed, for example, the dense layer of the hollow fiber membrane is torn. Therefore, the draft ratio is more preferably 1.7 or less, still more preferably 1.6 or less, still more preferably 1.5 or less, and particularly preferably 1.4 or less. By adjusting the draft ratio to this range, deformation and destruction of the pores can be prevented, clogging of blood protein into the membrane pores can be prevented, and performance stability over time and sharp fractionation characteristics can be expressed. Is possible.

  The polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained by the above method is stored for 3 months or more in a dry state, and then subjected to the test defined by the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval criteria and the hollow fiber membrane extract. It is preferable that the maximum value of UV (220 to 350 nm) absorbance at 0.10 is 0.10 or less at all sites. In this evaluation, a sample in a dry state was stored in a dry box (atmosphere: air) adjusted to a humidity of 50% RH for 3 months at room temperature, and then UV (220-350 nm) absorbance was measured by the method described above. . In consideration of storing the hollow fiber membrane bundle in a dry state in the manufacturing process of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, transportation, stock storage, and the like, it is preferable to impart the above characteristics.

  In the present invention, the blood purifier is preferably filled with a polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle having the above characteristics. The blood purifier preferably has a shape in which the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained by the above method is loaded in a blood purifier housing and both ends thereof are fixed with a resin.

  An example of the shape of the blood purifier is shown in FIG.

  The blood purifier 1 is loaded with a selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 in a cylindrical housing 2, and both ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 are fixed 4 to both ends of the housing 2 with an adhesive or the like. The both ends of 2 are covered with caps 5a and 5b. A dialysate inlet 6a for introducing dialysate into the housing 2 is provided near one end of the side of the housing 2, and a dialysate outlet 6b for discharging dialysate is provided near the other end. Each is formed to protrude. One cap 5a is formed with a blood introduction port 7a for introducing blood into the housing 2, and the other cap 5b is formed with a blood discharge port 7b for discharging blood.

  The blood enters the space formed by the cap 5a and one end face of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 from the blood introduction port 7a as shown by the arrow A, and the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 , Enters the space formed by the other end face of the selectively permeable hollow fiber bundle 3 and the cap 5b, and is discharged from the blood outlet 7b as shown by an arrow B. On the other hand, the dialysate enters the housing 2 from the dialysate inlet 6a as shown by the arrow C, flows outside the hollow fibers of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle 3, and as shown by the arrow D, the dialysate It is discharged from the discharge port 6b. At this time, the flow of blood to be dialyzed and the flow of dialysate are opposite so-called opposite flows. During this time, waste in the blood flowing in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane is dialyzed into the outer dialysate through the hollow fiber membrane.

  Examples of the material for the housing and the cap include polycarbonate, polyester, and polypropylene. Examples of the adhesive material used for fixing both ends include polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, and silicone resin.

  The method of injecting the adhesive used for fixing both ends into the fixing portion is not limited, but a centrifugal bonding method in which the injection is performed using the centrifugal force generated by rotating the blood purifier to be injected is recommended. The method of the centrifugal bonding method is not limited. For example, sealing jigs are attached to both ends of the blood purifier loaded with the dried selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle and set in a centrifugal bonding machine. A predetermined amount of uncured adhesive resin is injected from the dialysate inlets 6a and 6b at a temperature near room temperature while rotating the centrifugal adhesive machine at a predetermined rotational speed, and then the temperature of the centrifugal adhesive machine is injected. The curing temperature is raised and the curing is terminated, or at least the resin is precured until the fluidity of the resin is lost, and the centrifugal bonding machine is stopped. In the latter case, heating is performed in a stationary state, post-curing is performed, and curing is terminated. This centrifugal bonding method may be a two-layer centrifugal bonding method in which the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane at the bonding interface is reinforced by covering the inside of the bonded portion of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle with a flexible resin layer.

  In the case of the centrifugal bonding method, it is important that the adhesive is uniformly injected into the entire space in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle. If this injection becomes non-uniform and a portion where the injection amount of the adhesive is insufficient is produced, it leads to poor adhesion. In particular, if there is a portion where the selectively permeable hollow fiber membranes are fixed, penetration of the adhesive is inhibited. It is preferable to select a low viscosity brand as the adhesive. The viscosity after 2 minutes of mixing the two liquids is preferably 2000 mPa · s or less. 1600 mPa · s or less is more preferable. Moreover, it is preferable to lower the filling density of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle restrained by the hollow package when the dry selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle is inserted into the blood purifier.

  The number of hollow fiber membranes and the length of the hollow fiber membrane bundle to be filled are appropriately set according to market requirements and hollow fiber membrane bundle characteristics. The length and diameter of the housing are set so as to match the size of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle to be filled.

  Maximum of UV (220-350 nm) absorbance in hollow fiber membrane extract when the blood purifier is stored at room temperature for more than 1 year after sterilization and then subjected to the test defined by the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval criteria The value is preferably 0.10 or less at all sites. More preferably, the characteristics are maintained even after two years or more. Since the warranty period of the blood purifier is set to 3 years, it is particularly preferable that the characteristics are maintained for at least 3 years. It has been empirically confirmed that if the UV (220-350 nm) absorbance is maintained at 0.06 or less after 1 year, it can be maintained for 3 years.

When used for the blood purifier, it is preferable that the burst pressure is made of a hollow fiber membrane bundle having a pressure of 0.5 MPa or more and that the water permeability of the blood purifier is 150 ml / m ² / hr / mmHg or more. If the burst pressure is less than 0.5 MPa, there is a possibility that it is impossible to detect a potential defect that leads to a blood leak as described later. Moreover, if the water permeability is less than 150 ml / m ² / hr / mmHg, the dialysis efficiency may decrease. In order to increase the dialysis efficiency, the pore diameter is increased or the number of pores is increased. However, this tends to cause a problem that the membrane strength is reduced or defects are formed. Therefore, it is preferable that the porosity of the support layer portion is optimized by optimizing the pore diameter of the outer surface, and the solute permeation resistance and membrane strength are balanced. A more preferable range of water permeability is 200 ml / m ² / hr / mmHg or more, more preferably 250 ml / m ² / hr / mmHg or more, and still more preferably 300 ml / m ² / hr / mmHg or more. In addition, when the water permeability is too high, it becomes difficult to control water removal during hemodialysis, and therefore, 2000 ml / m ² / hr / mmHg or less is preferable. More preferably 1800ml / m ² / hr / mmHg or less, more preferably 1500ml / m ² / hr / mmHg or less, still more preferably not more than ^{1300ml / m 2 / hr / mmHg} .

Usually, the blood purifier performs a leak test in which the inside or outside of the hollow fiber membrane is pressurized with air in order to confirm defects in the hollow fiber membrane or the blood purifier at the final stage of production. When a leak is detected by the pressurized air, the blood purifier is discarded as a defective product, or an operation for repairing the defect is performed. The air pressure in this leak test is often several times the guaranteed pressure resistance of the hemodialyzer (usually 500 mmHg (0.067 MPa)). However, in the case of a hollow fiber type blood purification membrane having a particularly high water permeability, minute scratches, crushing, and tearing of the hollow fiber membrane that cannot be detected by a normal pressure leak test are caused by manufacturing processes (mainly sterilization) after the leak test. And packaging), transportation process, or handling in clinical settings (unpacking, priming, etc.), which leads to the cutting of hollow fiber membranes and pinholes, which in turn causes troubles of blood leaking during treatment. is required. The trouble can be avoided by setting the burst pressure to the above characteristic.
Further, the uneven thickness of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is effective for suppressing the occurrence of the above-described potential defects.

  The burst pressure in the present invention is an index of pressure resistance of the hollow fiber membrane bundle after the hollow fiber membrane is made into a blood purifier. The inside of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is pressurized with gas, and the pressure is gradually increased. The pressure when the hollow fiber membrane burst without being able to withstand the internal pressure. The higher the burst pressure, the less the cutting of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the generation of pinholes during use, so 0.5 MPa or more is preferable, 0.55 MPa or more is more preferable, and 0.6 MPa or more is even more preferable. If the burst pressure is less than 0.5 MPa, there may be a potential defect. The higher the burst pressure, the better. However, if the focus is on increasing the burst pressure and the film thickness is increased or the porosity is decreased too much, the desired film performance may not be obtained. Therefore, when finished as a hemodialysis membrane, the burst pressure is preferably less than 2.0 MPa. More preferably, it is less than 1.7 MPa, more preferably less than 1.5 MPa, still more preferably less than 1.3 MPa, and particularly preferably less than 1.0 MPa.

  The thickness deviation in the present invention is a deviation in film thickness when observing 100 hollow fiber membrane bundle cross sections in the blood purifier, and is represented by a ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value. The minimum thickness deviation of 100 hollow fiber membranes is preferably 0.6 or more. If even one hollow fiber membrane with a thickness deviation of less than 0.6 is included in 100 hollow fiber membranes, the hollow fiber membrane may cause a leak during clinical use. It represents not the value but 100 minimum values. Higher unevenness increases the uniformity of the film, suppresses the appearance of latent defects and improves the burst pressure, more preferably 0.7 or more, more preferably 0.8 or more, still more preferably 0.85 or more. If the uneven thickness is too low, latent defects are likely to be manifested, the burst pressure is lowered, and blood leakage is liable to occur.

  As an achievement means for making the unevenness degree 0.6 or more, for example, it is preferable to make the slit width of the nozzle that is the discharge port of the film forming solution strictly uniform. The spinning nozzle of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is generally a tube-in-orifice type nozzle having an annular part for discharging the spinning solution and a core liquid discharge hole serving as a hollow forming agent inside thereof. The width of the outer annular portion that discharges the spinning solution. By reducing the variation in the slit width, the uneven thickness of the spun hollow fiber membrane bundle can be reduced. Specifically, the ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value of the slit width is 1.00 or more and 1.11 or less, and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value is preferably 10 μm or less, more preferably 7 μm or less, More preferably, it is 5 micrometers or less, More preferably, it is 3 micrometers or less. It is also a preferred embodiment to optimize the nozzle temperature. The nozzle temperature is preferably 20 to 100 ° C. If it is less than 20 ° C., it is easily affected by the room temperature, the nozzle temperature is not stable, and the discharge spots of the spinning solution may occur. Therefore, the nozzle temperature is more preferably 30 ° C. or higher, further preferably 35 ° C. or higher, and further preferably 40 ° C. or higher. On the other hand, when the temperature exceeds 100 ° C., the viscosity of the spinning solution may be too low and ejection may become unstable, and thermal degradation / decomposition of polyvinylpyrrolidone may progress. Therefore, the nozzle temperature is more preferably 90 ° C. or less, further preferably 80 ° C. or less, and still more preferably 70 ° C. or less.

  Furthermore, as a measure for increasing the burst pressure, it is also an effective method to reduce potential defects by reducing flaws on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, foreign matters and bubbles. As a method of reducing the occurrence of scratches, the material and surface roughness of the rollers and guides in the manufacturing process of the hollow fiber membrane bundle are optimized, and when the hollow fiber membrane bundle is inserted into the blood purifier container when the blood purifier is assembled It is effective to devise such that contact between the container and the hollow fiber membrane bundle or rubbing between the hollow fiber membrane bundles is reduced. In the present invention, it is preferable to use a roller having a mirror-finished surface in order to prevent the hollow fiber membrane bundle from slipping and scratching the surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. In addition, it is preferable to use a guide whose surface is textured or knurled in order to avoid contact resistance with the hollow fiber membrane bundle as much as possible. When the hollow fiber membrane bundle is inserted into the blood purifier container, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is not directly inserted into the blood purifier container, but the contact surface with the hollow fiber membrane bundle is hollowed, for example, with a satin finish. It is preferable to use a method in which a film wound on a thread membrane bundle is inserted into a blood purifier container, and after insertion, only the film is extracted from the blood purifier container.

  As a method for suppressing the mixing of foreign matter into the hollow fiber membrane bundle, a method using a raw material with little foreign matter, filtering the spinning solution for film formation, and reducing foreign matter is effective. In the present invention, it is preferable to filter the spinning solution using a filter having a pore size smaller than the film thickness of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and then discharge from the nozzle. Specifically, the uniformly dissolved spinning solution is discharged from the dissolution tank to the nozzle. It passes through a sintered filter having a pore diameter of 10 to 50 μm provided during the introduction. The filtration treatment may be performed at least once. However, when the filtration treatment is performed in several stages, it is preferable to reduce the pore size of the filter as it is in the latter stage in order to extend the filtration efficiency and the filter life. The pore size of the filter is more preferably 10 to 45 μm, further preferably 10 to 40 μm. If the filter pore size is too small, the back pressure may increase and the quantitativeness may decrease. Further, as a method for suppressing the mixing of bubbles, it is effective to defoam a polymer solution for film formation. Depending on the viscosity of the spinning solution, static defoaming or vacuum defoaming can be used. In this case, after the inside of the dissolution tank is depressurized to −100 to −750 mmHg, the inside of the tank is sealed and allowed to stand for 5 to 30 minutes. This operation is repeated several times to perform defoaming treatment. If the degree of vacuum is too low, the treatment may take a long time because it is necessary to increase the number of defoaming times. Moreover, when the pressure reduction degree is too high, the cost for raising the sealing degree of a system may become high. The total treatment time is preferably 5 minutes to 5 hours. If the treatment time is too long, polyvinylpyrrolidone may be decomposed and deteriorated due to the effect of reduced pressure. If the treatment time is too short, the defoaming effect may be insufficient.

  Hereinafter, the effectiveness of the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the evaluation method of the physical property in the following examples is as follows.

1. Measurement of water permeability The blood outlet circuit of the dialyzer (the outlet side from the pressure measurement point) is sealed with forceps and is subjected to total filtration. Purified water kept at 37 ° C is put into a pressurized tank, and the pressure is controlled by a regulator. The pure water is sent to a dialyzer kept warm in a 37 ° C constant temperature bath, and the amount of filtrate flowing out from the dialysate side is measured with a graduated cylinder. To do. The transmembrane pressure difference (TMP) is TMP = (Pi + Po) / 2
And Here, Pi is the dialyzer inlet side pressure, and Po is the dialyzer outlet side pressure. The TMP is changed at four points, the filtration flow rate is measured, and the water permeability (mL / hr / mmHg) is calculated from the slope of the relationship. At this time, the correlation coefficient between TMP and the filtration flow rate must be 0.999 or more. In order to reduce the pressure loss error due to the circuit, TMP is measured in the range of 100 mmHg or less. The water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is calculated from the membrane area and the water permeability of the dialyzer.
UFR (H) = UFR (D) / A
Here, UFR (H) is the water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane bundle (mL / m ² / hr / mmHg), UFR (D) is the water permeability of the dialyzer (mL / hr / mmHg), and A is the membrane area of the dialyzer. (M ² ).

2. Calculation of membrane area The membrane area of the dialyzer is obtained as a reference for the inner diameter of the hollow fiber membrane.
A = n × π × d × L
Here, n is the number of hollow fiber membranes in the dialyzer, π is the circumference, d is the inner diameter (m) of the hollow fiber membrane, and L is the effective length (m) of the hollow fiber membrane in the dialyzer.

3. Burst pressure Fill the dialysis solution side of a blood purifier consisting of about 10,000 hollow fiber membrane bundles with water and plug it. Dry air or nitrogen is fed from the blood side at room temperature and pressurized at a rate of 0.5 MPa per minute. The pressure is increased, and the air pressure when the hollow fiber membrane bundle bursts (bursts) with pressurized air and bubbles are generated in the liquid filled on the dialysate side is defined as the burst pressure.

4. Unevenness of thickness The cross section of 100 hollow fiber membranes is observed with a 200 times projector. In one field of view, the thickness of the thickest part and the thinnest part is measured with respect to one yarn cross section having the largest film thickness difference.
Thickness unevenness = thinnest part / thickest part thickening degree = 1, and the film thickness is perfectly uniform.

5. Elution amount of polyvinyl pyrrolidone Extracted by the method defined in the dialysis artificial kidney device production standard, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the extract was quantified by a colorimetric method.
In the case of a dry hollow fiber membrane blood purifier, 100 ml of pure water is added to 1 g of a hollow fiber membrane bundle and extracted at 70 ° C. for 1 hour. The obtained extract (2.5 ml), 0.2 molar aqueous citric acid solution (1.25 ml) and 0.006 normal iodine aqueous solution (0.5 ml) were mixed well and allowed to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, and the absorbance at 470 nm was measured. Quantification was performed with a calibration curve obtained by measuring according to the above method using a standard polyvinylpyrrolidone.
In the case of a wet hollow fiber membrane blood purifier, physiological saline was passed through the dialysate side flow path of the blood purifier at 500 mL / min for 5 minutes, and then passed through the blood side flow path at 200 mL / min. Thereafter, the solution was passed through for 3 minutes while filtering from the blood side to the dialysate side at 200 mL / min, and then freeze-dried to obtain a dry membrane, and the above quantification was performed using the dry membrane.

6. UV (220-350 nm) Absorbance Absorbance in the wavelength range of 200 to 350 nm using a spectrophotometer (manufactured by Hitachi, U-3000) of the extract extracted by the method defined in the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard And the maximum absorbance in this wavelength range was determined.
In the measurement, the hollow fiber membrane bundle was equally divided into 10 pieces of 2.7 cm in the longitudinal direction, and 1 g of the hollow fiber membrane bundle in a dry state was weighed from each portion and measured for all samples.
In the case of a wet hollow fiber membrane blood purifier, the measurement was performed using a dry membrane obtained by processing in the same manner as the measurement of the elution amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone.

7. Quantitative determination of hydrogen peroxide TiCl ₄ mixed in an equimolar ratio with an ammonium chloride buffer solution (PH 8.6) 0.2 ml in 2.6 ml of the extract extracted by the method defined in the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard A mixture of a hydrogen chloride solution of 4- (2-pyridylazo) resorcinol with an aqueous Na salt solution was added, 0.2 ml of a coloring reagent prepared to 0.4 mM was further added, and the mixture was heated at 50 ° C. for 5 minutes, and then brought to room temperature. After cooling, the absorbance at 508 nm was measured. A quantitative value was obtained using a calibration curve obtained by measuring in the same manner using a sample.
In the measurement, the hollow fiber membrane bundle was equally divided into 10 pieces of 2.7 cm in the longitudinal direction, and 1 g of the hollow fiber membrane bundle in a dry state was weighed from each portion and measured for all samples.
In the case of a wet hollow fiber membrane blood purifier, measurement was performed using a dry membrane obtained by processing in the same manner as the measurement of the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone eluted. Moreover, when quantifying about the hollow fiber membrane bundle of a wet state, it measured about the dry membrane obtained by drying by the freeze-dry method.

8. Blood Leak Test A 37 ° C. bovine blood to which citric acid is added and coagulation is suppressed is fed to a blood purifier at 200 mL / min, and the blood is filtered at a rate of 20 mL / min. At this time, the filtrate is returned to blood to be a circulatory system. After 60 minutes, the filtrate from the blood purifier is collected, and the red color resulting from red blood cell leakage is visually observed. In this blood leak test, 30 blood purifiers were used in each Example and Comparative Example, and the number of blood purifiers that had leaked blood was examined.

9. Storage stability of hollow fiber membrane bundles The dried hollow fiber membrane bundles obtained in each Example and Comparative Example were kept in a dry box (atmosphere was air) adjusted to a humidity of 50% RH for 3 months. After storage, UV (220-350 nm) absorbance was measured by a method defined in the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard. Stability was determined by the degree of increase in UV (220-350 nm) absorbance due to the storage. The degree of increase was obtained by equally dividing the hollow fiber membrane bundle into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction, measuring each sample, and determining the maximum value. Those whose maximum value did not exceed 0.10 were considered acceptable.

10. Measurement of oxygen concentration in the packaging bag and in water The oxygen concentration in the packaging bag was measured by gas chromatography. A column packed with molecular sieve (Molecular sieve 13X-S mesh 60/80 manufactured by GL Science) was used, the carrier gas was analyzed using argon gas, the detector was analyzed using a heat conduction method, and the column temperature was 60 ° C. The gas in the packaging bag was collected by piercing the syringe needle directly into the unopened packaging bag.
The oxygen concentration in water was measured using a dissolved oxygen meter OM-51-L1 manufactured by HORIBA.

11. Measurement of inner diameter and film thickness of hollow fiber membrane The hollow fiber membrane is cut with a sharp razor perpendicular to the length direction, and the cross section is observed with a microscope at a magnification of 200 times. The inner diameter value and the outer diameter value are measured at n = 5, and the average value is calculated.
Film thickness [μm] = {(outer diameter) − (inner diameter)} / 2

12. Measurement of carboxyl group content in hollow fiber membrane A dry hollow fiber membrane bundle was cut into a length of about 1 cm and weighed 0.75 g. This membrane was immersed in 25 cc of a methanol solution containing 0.01% by mass of 9-anthryldiazomethane (manufactured by Funakoshi Co., Ltd.) and allowed to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. The membrane was then filtered and immersed in methanol and filtered repeatedly to remain. The reagent was washed away. Next, the membrane was immersed in 25 cc of methanol containing 1N sodium hydroxide and hydrolyzed at room temperature for 2 hours. The fluorescence intensity of the supernatant was measured at an excitation wavelength of 365 nm and an emission wavelength of 412 nm, and the carboxyl group content in the film was calculated using anthracene methanol as a standard.

13. Measurement of peroxide content in hollow fiber membrane A dry hollow fiber membrane bundle was cut into a length of about 5 cm and weighed 0.3 g. This film was filled in a glass test tube, 4 cc of a color developing solution was added, and the mixture was reacted at 37 ° C. for 8 hours in the dark. As the coloring reagent, a solution obtained by dissolving a coloring agent attached to a commercially available peroxide measurement kit (Determiner LPO: manufactured by Kyowa Medix Co., Ltd.) with a dedicated solution was used. After completion of the reaction, the membrane was separated by filtration, the absorbance of the filtrate was measured at a wavelength of 675 nm, and the peroxide content in the membrane was calculated using cumene hydroperoxide as a standard.

14. Platelet adhesion test to hollow fiber membrane (LDH activity)
A small blood purification device having a length of 15 cm was prepared from 50 hollow fiber membranes, and heparinized human fresh blood was passed through the blood purification device at a linear velocity of 1.0 cm / sec for 15 minutes. After washing the blood purifier with physiological saline, the hollow fiber membrane is chopped and subjected to ultrasonic treatment in 0.5 cc physiological saline containing 0.5% polyethylene glycol alkylphenyl ether (trade name Triton X100). The activity of lactate dehydrogenase (hereinafter referred to as LDH) released from platelets attached to the surface was measured. LDH activity was measured using a commercially available colorimetric kit (LDH monotest kit: Boehringer Mannheim, manufactured by Yamanouchi Co., Ltd.), and the LDH activity per membrane area was calculated. In addition, the membrane which does not contain PVP at all was used as a positive control with severe platelet adhesion, and compared with the test product. The positive control LDH activity was 15.0 to 15.5 U / m ² .

15. Storage stability of blood purifier After storing the blood purifier after irradiation for one year at room temperature, UV (220-350 nm) absorbance was measured by the method described above. Stability was determined by the degree of increase in UV (220-350 nm) absorbance due to the storage. The degree of increase was obtained by equally dividing the hollow fiber membrane bundle into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction, measuring each sample, and determining the maximum value. Those whose maximum value did not exceed 0.10 were considered acceptable.

16. Moisture content of hollow fiber membrane The moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane was measured by measuring the mass (g) of the hollow fiber membrane before drying, and then performing vacuum drying under reduced pressure (-750 mmHg or less) for 12 hours, after drying The mass (g) of the hollow fiber membrane is measured. The mass difference between before and after drying is determined as a weight loss (g) in% based on the mass after drying (g). The moisture content is determined by the following formula.
(Weight loss / mass after drying) × 100 = moisture content (mass%)
Here, by setting the mass of the hollow fiber membrane within the range of 1 to 2 g, it can be in an absolutely dry state (a state in which there is no further mass change) after 2 hours.

17. Content in outermost layer of inner and outer surfaces of hydrophilic polymer The content of polyvinylpyrrolidone was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ESCA method).
One hollow fiber membrane was cut obliquely with a razor so that a part of the inner surface was exposed, and was attached to a sample stage so that the inner and outer surfaces could be measured, and measurement was performed by ESCA. The measurement conditions are as follows.
Measuring device: ULVAC-Phi ESCA5800
Excitation X-ray: MgKα ray X-ray output: 14 kV, 25 mA
Photoelectron escape angle: 45 °
Analysis diameter: 400μmφ
Pass energy: 29.35 eV
Resolution: 0.125 eV / step
Degree of vacuum: about 10 ⁻⁷ Pa or less From the measured value (N) of nitrogen and the measured value (S) of sulfur, the polyvinylpyrrolidone content on the surface was calculated by the following formula.
<Polyvinylpyrrolidone-added PES (polyethersulfone) membrane>
Polyvinylpyrrolidone content (H polyvinylpyrrolidone) [%]
= 100 × (N × 111) / (N × 111 + S × 232)
<Polyvinylpyrrolidone-added PSf (polysulfone) membrane>
Polyvinylpyrrolidone content (H polyvinylpyrrolidone) [%]
= 100 × (N × 111) / (N × 111 + S × 442)

18. Measuring method of polyvinyl pyrrolidone constituent ratio in the whole hollow fiber membrane The hollow fiber membrane was dried at 80 ° C. for 48 hours using a vacuum dryer, and 10 mg of the membrane was CHN coder (manufactured by Yanaco Analytical Industries, MT-6). The composition ratio of polyvinyl pyrrolidone was calculated by the following formula from the nitrogen content.
Composition ratio (% by mass) of polyvinylpyrrolidone = nitrogen content (% by mass) × 111/14

19. Performance expression at the time of priming Saline is flowed from the blood side inlet port of the blood purifier, and the water permeability after 10 minutes and 24 hours is evaluated by the above-mentioned evaluation method, and the water permeability after 24 hours is 10 minutes. The ratio of the water permeability after was calculated | required and it determined with the following references | standards. After measuring the water permeability after 10 minutes, the blood purifier was filled with water and kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
90% or more: ○
Less than 90%: ×

Example 1
In a kneading and dissolving machine that expresses a kneading effect by so-called planetary motion in which two frame-type blades rotate and revolve, 1 part by mass of polyethersulfone (manufactured by Sumika Chemtex, Sumika Excel (registered trademark) 4800P), 0.144 parts by mass of polyvinylpyrrolidone (BASF Koridone (registered trademark) K90) and 1 part by mass of dimethylacetamide (DMAc) were charged, and the mixture was stirred for 2 hours and kneaded. Subsequently, a mixed solution of 3.02 parts by mass of DMAc and 0.16 parts by mass of RO water was added over 1 hour. Stirring was continued for an additional hour by increasing the number of revolutions of the stirrer and dissolved uniformly. At this time, kneading and dissolution were performed in a nitrogen atmosphere. The temperature during kneading and dissolution was cooled so as not to exceed 40 ° C. The stirring fluid number and stirring Reynolds number at the final dissolution were 1.0 and 100, respectively. The system was then depressurized to -500 mmHg using a vacuum pump, and the system was immediately sealed and allowed to stand for 15 minutes so that the solvent and the like would not evaporate and change the composition of the film forming solution. This operation was repeated three times to degas the film forming solution. After the defoaming was completed, the inside of the system was again purged with nitrogen and maintained in a weakly pressurized state. The polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a hydrogen peroxide content of 130 ppm was used. The obtained film-forming solution was sequentially passed through a two-stage sintered filter of 30 μm and 15 μm, and then degassed at −700 mmHg for 30 minutes in advance as a hollow forming agent from a tube-in orifice nozzle heated to 75 ° C. After passing through a 400 mm dry section, which was discharged together with a 53 mass% DMAc aqueous solution and cut off from the outside air by a spinning tube, it was coagulated in a 20 mass% DMAc aqueous solution at 60 ° C., and was rolled up in a wet state. The nozzle slit width of the tube-in-orifice nozzle used was an average of 60 μm, the maximum 61 μm, the minimum 59 μm, the ratio of the maximum and minimum slit widths was 1.03, and the draft ratio was 1.04. During the spinning process, all the rollers with which the hollow fiber membrane bundle contacts were mirror-finished on the surface, and the guides were all finished with a satin finish. A polyethylene film whose surface on the hollow fiber bundle side was textured was wound around a bundle of about 10,000 hollow fiber membranes, and then cut into a length of 27 cm (hereinafter referred to as a bundle). Was washed in water for 30 minutes × 3 times to remove excess polyvinylpyrrolidone, the solvent, and endotoxin (fragment) contained in the membrane.

The resulting wet hollow fiber membrane bundle has a structure in which a microwave oscillator is installed on the side wall of the heating oven, the microwave can oscillate in the horizontal direction, and a reflector is installed in the oven for uniform heating. The far-infrared heater and the oven were introduced into a microwave dryer having an exhaust system for reducing the pressure, and dried under the following conditions. After heating the hollow fiber membrane bundle for 30 minutes under a reduced pressure of 7 kPa at an output of 1.5 kW, the microwave irradiation was stopped and simultaneously the pressure was increased to 1.5 kPa and maintained for 3 minutes. Subsequently, the degree of vacuum was returned to 7 kPa, the microwave was irradiated and the hollow fiber membrane bundle was heated at an output of 0.5 kW for 10 minutes, and then the microwave was cut to increase the degree of vacuum and maintain 0.7 kPa for 3 minutes. Furthermore, the degree of vacuum was returned to 7 kPa, and microwave irradiation was performed for 8 minutes at an output of 0.2 kW to heat the hollow fiber membrane bundle. After the microwave cutting, the degree of vacuum was increased to 0.5 kPa, and only the far infrared rays were irradiated and maintained for 10 minutes to complete the drying of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. During drying, the output of the far-infrared heater was adjusted so that the temperature detected by a thermocouple provided at the center of the drying oven was 50 ° C. over the entire period. In addition, the waveguide of the microwave oscillator of the microwave dryer has a structure in which the cross-sectional area gradually increases toward the microwave traveling direction, and a conical reflector is guided at the apex of the cone at the outlet of the waveguide. The Er / Ei of the microwave irradiated with the structure installed in the direction facing the inside of the tube was 0.05.
The maximum temperature reached on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle at this time was 65 ° C. The moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle before drying is 330% by mass, the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle after the first stage is 34% by mass, and the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle after the second stage is 11% by mass. The water content of the hollow fiber membrane bundle after the third stage was 3.0% by mass. The obtained hollow fiber membrane had an inner diameter of 200.5 μm, a film thickness of 29.0 μm, and a mass ratio of polyvinylpyrrolidone to polyethersulfone of 3.0 mass%.

  The obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle was equally divided into 10 pieces of 2.7 cm in the longitudinal direction, and 1 g of the hollow fiber membrane bundle in a dry state was weighed from each part to quantify hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide was stable at low levels at all sites. The obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle was stored in a dry state. Even after storage for 3 months, the maximum value of UV (220-350 nm) absorbance, which is the standard for approval of dialysis artificial kidney device manufacture for hollow fiber membrane bundles, is 0.04, and the standard value of 0.10 or less is maintained. The storage stability was good. The quantitative values are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

The obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle was loaded into the blood purifier housing at a filling rate of 60% by volume, the end was adhered with urethane resin, the resin was cut out, and the hollow fiber membrane end was opened to assemble the blood purifier. . The hollow fiber membrane bundle was loaded into the blood purifier housing by inserting the bundle into the blood purifier housing and extracting a polyethylene film from the bundle. As a result of conducting a leak test of the obtained blood purifier, no adhesion failure caused by the sticking of the hollow fiber membranes was observed. The blood purifier is composed of two general-purpose oxygen scavengers (TAMOTSU (registered trademark) manufactured by Oji Tac Co., Ltd.), a pore volume of 1.05 cc / g, a surface area of 320 m ² / g, and a silica gel having a particle size of 8 mesh and calcium chloride. An oxygen transmission rate and a water vapor transmission rate of 1 cm ³ / m ² each consisting of a modified silica gel B loaded with 10% by mass of a silica gel B in a paper pack and an outer layer made of polyester film, an intermediate layer made of aluminum foil, and an inner layer made of polyethylene film. -Sealed by a heat sealing method and sealed in a packaging bag made of an aluminum laminate sheet of 24 h · MPa (20 ° C, 90% RH) or less and 5 g / m ² · 24 h · MPa (40 ° C, 90% RH) or less. The humidity control agent used was seasoned in advance in an environment with a relative humidity of 85% RH for 24 hours. The package was stored at room temperature for 72 hours and then sterilized by irradiation with 25 kGy of γ rays. The oxygen concentration in the packaging bag of the package sealed simultaneously with the sterilized product was measured. It was substantially oxygen-free at 0.1% by volume or less. The relative humidity was 75% RH.

The hollow fiber membrane bundle is taken out from the sterilized blood purifier, and the hydrogen peroxide elution amount, UV absorbance (220-350 nm) of the extract obtained in accordance with the extraction method of the artificial kidney device production approval standard test in the hollow fiber membrane The carboxyl group and peroxide contents were measured. The UV absorbance (220-350 nm) was measured for all of the 10 samples divided in the same manner as described above, and the maximum value was evaluated. Further, LDH activity was evaluated immediately after sterilization and after storage for 2 weeks in a sealed state in a packaging bag. The above evaluation was performed using a plurality of blood purifiers produced simultaneously.
Even after γ-ray irradiation, the UV absorbance (220-350 nm) did not deteriorate, and the standard value of the artificial kidney device manufacture approval reference test was less than 0.1. Further, the carboxyl group and peroxide contents in the hollow fiber membrane were appropriate, the LDH activity was low, and the antithrombogenicity was good.

The blood purifier was filled with pressurized air at a pressure of 0.1 MPa, and a product that passed the leak test with a pressure drop for 10 seconds of 30 mmAq or less was used in subsequent tests. Further, when the hollow fiber membrane was taken out from the blood purifier and the outer surface was observed with a microscope, defects such as scratches were not observed. In addition, citrated fresh bovine blood was passed through the blood purifier at a blood flow rate of 200 mL / min and a filtration rate of 10 mL / min / m ² , but no blood cell leak was observed. Endotoxin filtered from the outside of the hollow fiber membrane to the inside of the hollow fiber membrane was below the detection limit, and was at a level with no problem.

  In addition, the storage stability of the blood purifier obtained in this example is good, and UV, which is a manufacturing approval standard for a dialysis artificial kidney device for a bundle of hollow fiber membranes filled in the blood purifier after storage for one year. The maximum value of (220-350 nm) absorbance was 0.05, and the standard value of 0.10 or less was maintained.

Further, the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone eluted from the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane of the blood purifier was low, the water permeability was excellent during priming, and the blood purifier was highly practical.

  These evaluation results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 1)
In Example 1, polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a hydrogen peroxide content of 500 ppm was used as a raw material, the kneading and dissolution temperature was 85 ° C., nitrogen gas replacement in the raw material supply system and dissolution tank was stopped, and the number of washings of the hollow fiber membrane bundle was 1 Example 1 except that the wet and selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle was changed to dry under a normal pressure by irradiating microwaves until the moisture content became 0.5% by mass. Similarly, a selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle and a blood purifier were obtained. Tables 1, 2 and 4 show the characteristics of the obtained selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle and blood purifier. The permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained in this comparative example had a large amount of hydrogen peroxide elution, and the permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle storage stability was inferior. Further, the UV (220-350 nm) absorbance was high and varied greatly depending on the sampling location, and although it was mild, partial sticking occurred and the workability of the blood purifier assembly was not good. Moreover, the carboxyl group and peroxide content in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane in the blood purifier after receiving γ-ray irradiation obtained in Comparative Example 1 is high, the LDH activity is large, and the antithrombotic property is high. It was inferior. Moreover, the hydrogen peroxide elution amount was high, and the storage stability of the blood purifier was also inferior.
(Comparative Example 2)
In Example 1, except that washing of the permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle was stopped and the wet hollow fiber membrane bundle was changed to be dried by the same method as in Comparative Example 1, the same procedure as in Example 1 was performed. Thus, a selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle and a blood purifier were obtained. Tables 1, 2 and 4 show the characteristics of the obtained selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle and blood purifier. The amount of PVP elution was 13 ppm. The poor cleaning of the hollow fiber membrane was considered.

  In addition, the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle and blood purifier obtained in this Comparative Example were of lower quality than those of Comparative Example 1.

(Comparative Example 3)
A hollow fiber membrane bundle, a blood purifier, and a blood purifier package in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the combined use of the humidity control agent in Example 1 is stopped and the blood purifier and the oxygen scavenger are sealed in the packaging bag. Got. The relative humidity in the packaging bag was 35% RH. The characteristics of the obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle and blood purifier are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 4. The blood purifier obtained in Comparative Example 2 had a high carboxyl group and peroxide content in the hollow fiber membrane after being subjected to γ-ray irradiation, and had a large LDH activity and an inferior antithrombotic property. Moreover, the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide was increased by γ-ray irradiation. Therefore, the storage stability of the blood purifier was also inferior, and the UV absorbance (220-350 nm) was also greatly deteriorated with the storage time. This is considered to be caused by the deterioration of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the hollow fiber membrane bundle due to the irradiation of γ rays because the humidity in the atmosphere around the hollow fiber membrane bundle at the time of γ ray irradiation is low.

(Comparative Example 4)
In Example 1, a hollow fiber membrane bundle, a blood purifier, and a blood purifier package were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the sealing of the oxygen scavenger in the packaging bag was stopped. The characteristics of the obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle and blood purifier are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 4. The blood purifier obtained in Comparative Example 4 was of low quality, as was the blood purifier obtained in Comparative Example 3. In this comparative example, since the oxygen scavenger is not enclosed, the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere around the hollow fiber membrane bundle at the time of γ-ray irradiation is not high so that oxidation is not suppressed. This is considered to be caused by the deterioration of the polyvinylpyrrolidone in the bundle.

(Example 2)
Polyethersulfone (Sumika Chemtex, Sumika Excel (registered trademark) 4800P) 1 part by weight Polyvinylpyrrolidone (BASF Koridone (registered trademark) K-90) 0.21 part by weight, DMAc 1.5 parts by weight Kneading with a screw type kneader. The obtained kneaded material was put into a stirring type dissolution tank charged with 2.57 parts by mass of DMAc and 0.28 parts by mass of water, and stirred for 3 hours to dissolve. The kneading and dissolution were cooled so that the internal temperature did not rise above 30 ° C. Next, after the pressure in the system was reduced to −700 mmHg using a vacuum pump, the dissolution tank was immediately sealed and allowed to stand for 10 minutes so that the solvent and the like would volatilize and the film forming solution composition would not change. This operation was repeated three times to degas the film forming solution. The polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a hydrogen peroxide content of 100 ppm was used, and the supply tank in the raw material supply system and the dissolution tank were replaced with nitrogen gas. Further, the Froude number and the stirring Reynolds number at the time of dissolution were 1.1 and 120, respectively. The obtained film-forming solution was passed through a two-stage filter of 15 μm and 15 μm, and then degassed in advance at −700 mmHg for 2 hours as a hollow forming agent from a tube-in orifice nozzle heated to 70 ° C. 50 mass at 50 ° C. The solution was discharged at the same time as the% DMAc aqueous solution, passed through a 350 mm air gap portion cut off from the outside air by a spinning tube, and then coagulated in water at 60 ° C. The nozzle slit width of the tube-in-orifice nozzle used was an average of 45 μm, the maximum was 45.5 μm, the minimum was 44.5 μm, the ratio of the maximum and minimum slit widths was 1.02, and the draft ratio was 1.06. It was. The hollow fiber membrane bundle pulled up from the coagulation bath was passed through a water washing tank at 85 ° C. for 45 seconds to remove the solvent and excess polyvinylpyrrolidone, and then wound up. A polyethylene film similar to that of Example 1 was wrapped around a bundle of about 10,000 hollow fiber membranes, and then washed by immersing twice in a 40 vol% isopropanol aqueous solution at 30 ° C. for 30 minutes.

  The obtained wet selective permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle was dried in the same manner as in Example 1. The reflector was placed in an oven and introduced into a microwave irradiation type dryer having a structure capable of uniform heating, and dried under the following conditions. The water content after drying was 2.8% by mass. The roller for changing the yarn path during the spinning process was a mirror-finished surface, and the fixing guide was a satin-finished surface. The obtained selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle had an inner diameter of 200.0 μm and a film thickness of 28.5 μm.

The obtained dry permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle was equally divided into 10 pieces of 2.7 cm in the longitudinal direction, and 1 g of the hollow fiber membrane bundle in a dry state was weighed from each part, and the hydrogen peroxide elution amount was quantified. . The elution amount of hydrogen peroxide was stable at a low level in all sites, and was excellent in storage stability.
A blood purifier was assembled using the hollow fiber membrane bundle thus obtained. As a result of the leak test, no adhesion failure caused by the sticking of the hollow fiber membranes was observed. The blood purifier is switched to a moisture release type (ageless Z-200PT (registered trademark) manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.) as an oxygen scavenger, and the use of a humidity control agent is stopped, and the packaging bag is sealed and stored until sterilization. Sterilization was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the time was 216 hours. When the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle was cut out from the blood purifier after γ-irradiation and subjected to the eluate test, the polyvinylpyrrolidone elution amount was 4 ppm, and the maximum hydrogen peroxide elution amount was 2 ppm, which was a satisfactory level. there were. In addition, the storage stability of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained in this example is good, and UV (220-350 nm), which is a standard for approval of dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing of a hollow fiber membrane bundle after storage for one year. ) The maximum value of absorbance was 0.06, and the reference value of 0.1 or less was maintained. Further, when the permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle was taken out from the blood purifier and the outer surface was observed with a microscope, no defects such as scratches were observed. No blood cell leak was found in the blood leak test using bovine blood. Further, the carboxyl group and peroxide contents in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane were appropriate, the LDH activity was low, and the antithrombotic property was good.

  Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the evaluation results of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membranes and blood purifiers obtained.

(Comparative Example 5)
16% by mass of polyethersulfone (manufactured by Sumika Chemtex, Sumika Excel (registered trademark) 5200P), 5.4% by mass of polyvinylpyrrolidone (Collidon (registered trademark) K-90, manufactured by BASF), 75% dimethylacetamide (DMAc). 6% by mass and 3% by mass of water were directly charged into a dissolution tank having a stirrer and dissolved at 75 ° C. At this time, the dissolution fluid number and the stirring Reynolds number were 1.0 and 120, respectively. The system was then depressurized to -500 mmHg using a vacuum pump, and the system was immediately sealed and allowed to stand for 15 minutes so that the solvent and the like would volatilize and the film forming solution composition would not change. This operation was repeated three times to degas the film forming solution. As the polyvinyl pyrrolidone, one having a hydrogen peroxide content of 450 ppm was used, and the supply tank in the raw material supply system and the dissolution tank were not replaced with nitrogen gas. This membrane-forming solution was passed through a 30 μm filter, and then simultaneously using a 30 mass% DMAc aqueous solution at 50 ° C. that had been degassed in advance at −700 mmHg for 2 hours as a hollow forming agent from a tube-in orifice nozzle heated to 60 ° C. After passing through a 600 mm dry part cut off from the outside air by a discharge and spinning tube, it was solidified in a DMAc aqueous solution having a concentration of 10% by mass and 60 ° C. The nozzle slit width of the tube-in-orifice nozzle used was an average of 100 μm, the maximum was 110 μm, the minimum was 90 μm, the ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value of the slit width was 1.22, and the draft ratio was 2.4. The obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle was passed through a water washing tank at 40 ° C. for 45 seconds to remove the solvent and excess polyvinylpyrrolidone, and then wound up in a wet state and dried in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1. The obtained hollow fiber membrane bundle had an inner diameter of 200.5 μm and a film thickness of 28.2 μm. The selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained in this comparative example has a high level of elution amount of hydrogen peroxide and polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide elution amount varies greatly depending on the sampling location.

  Using the permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle thus obtained, a blood purifier was assembled and sterilized in the same manner as in Example 1. When the hollow fiber membrane bundle was cut out from the blood purifier and subjected to the eluate test, the polyvinylpyrrolidone elution amount was 12 ppm and the maximum hydrogen peroxide elution amount was 20 ppm. Since the permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle in the blood purifier obtained in this comparative example had a high hydrogen peroxide elution amount, the storage stability was poor. The blood purifier obtained in this comparative example cannot maintain the maximum value of UV (220-350 nm) absorbance, which is already a dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard, at 0.10 or less after storage for about 3 months. It was. Moreover, the carboxyl group and peroxide content in the hollow fiber membrane after receiving γ-ray irradiation were high, the LDH activity was large, and the antithrombogenicity was inferior. Further, the blood purifier was filled with pressurized air at a pressure of 0.1 MPa, and a blood purifier having a pressure drop for 10 seconds of 30 mmAq or less was used for the test. In the blood leak test using bovine blood, two of 30 blood purifiers had blood cell leaks. From the fact that the uneven thickness is small and the outer surface hole diameter is too large, it seems that pinholes are generated and / or broken.

  The analysis results are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 4.

(Example 3)
In the same manner as in Example 2, 18% by mass of polysulfone (P-3500 manufactured by Amoco), 9% by mass of polyvinylpyrrolidone (Collidon (registered trademark) K-60 manufactured by BASF), 68% by mass of dimethylacetamide (DMAc), A film forming solution consisting of 5% by mass of water was prepared. As the polyvinyl pyrrolidone, one having a hydrogen peroxide content of 100 ppm was used. The obtained film-forming solution was passed through a two-stage filter of 15 μm and 15 μm, and simultaneously with a 55 mass% DMAc aqueous solution at 60 ° C. that had been degassed in advance as a hollow forming agent from a tube-in orifice nozzle heated to 40 ° C. After discharging and passing through a 600 mm air gap portion cut off from the outside air by a spinning tube, it was solidified in 50 ° C. water. The nozzle slit width of the tube-in-orifice nozzle used was an average of 60 μm, the maximum 61 μm, the minimum 59 μm, the ratio of the maximum and minimum slit widths was 1.03, and the draft ratio was 1.01. The hollow fiber membrane bundle pulled up from the coagulation bath was passed through a water washing tank at 85 ° C. for 45 seconds to remove the solvent and excess polyvinylpyrrolidone, and then wound up. A bundle of about 10,000 hollow fiber membranes was immersed in pure water and washed in an autoclave at 121 ° C. for 1 hour. Subsequently, it was dried in the same manner as in Example 1. The roller for changing the yarn path during the spinning process was a mirror-finished surface, and the fixing guide was a satin-finished surface. The obtained selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle had an inner diameter of 200.8 μm and a film thickness of 44.5 μm. As is apparent from Tables 1 and 2, the hydrogen peroxide elution amount was stable at a low level in all parts. Therefore, the storage stability of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle was good.

  A blood purifier was assembled using the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle thus obtained. After the RO side was filled with deoxygenated water with a dissolved oxygen concentration of 0.05 ppm obtained by passing RO water through the hollow fiber membrane degassing module, the blood side was filled at 200 ml / min for 5 minutes, and then the blood side was stopped. Then, the water content in the hollow fiber membrane was adjusted to 100% by mass by purging the charged water with nitrogen gas at 60 ° C. at a pressure of 0.1 Pa and continuing the ventilation. The above operation was performed in a nitrogen atmosphere. The oxygen concentration in the blood purifier was 0.5% by volume. In this environment, all the blood and dialysate entrances and exits of the dried blood purifier are sealed with a cap made of an ethylene-propylene synthetic rubber, and the outer layer is a biaxially stretched polyamide film having a thickness of 25 μm and the inner layer is not yet having a thickness of 50 μm. It sealed in the packaging bag which consists of a laminated body of an extending | stretching polyethylene film.

  After sealing and storing at room temperature for 120 hours, 25 kGy of γ rays were irradiated. When the hollow fiber membrane bundle was cut out from the blood purifier and subjected to the eluate test, the polyvinylpyrrolidone elution amount was 5 ppm and the maximum hydrogen peroxide elution amount was 3 ppm, which was a satisfactory level. The blood purifier was filled with pressurized air at a pressure of 0.1 MPa, and a product that passed the leak test with a pressure drop for 10 seconds of 30 mmAq or less was used in subsequent tests. Further, when the hollow fiber membrane bundle was taken out from the blood purifier and the outer surface was observed with a microscope, defects such as scratches were not observed. In addition, citrated fresh cow blood was flowed to the blood purifier at a blood flow rate of 200 mL / min and a filtration rate of 10 mL / min, but no blood cell leak was observed. Endotoxin filtered from the outer side of the hollow fiber to the inner side of the hollow fiber was below the detection limit and was at a level with no problem. In addition, the storage stability of the blood purifier obtained in this example is good, and UV is the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard for the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle in the blood purifier after storage for one year. The maximum value of (220-350 nm) absorbance was 0.05, and the reference value of 0.1 or less was maintained. As a result of the leak test, no adhesion failure caused by the sticking of the hollow fibers was found. Further, the carboxyl group and peroxide contents in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane after γ-irradiation were appropriate, the LDH activity was low, and the antithrombogenicity was good.

  Tables 1, 2, and 3 show the evaluation results of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane and blood purifier obtained in the above Example.

(Comparative Example 6)
In the method of Example 3, sterilization was performed in the same manner as in Example 3 except that the sealing plug was changed to be stopped. The results are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 4. In this comparative example, since it is not sealed, air enters the blood purifier, and the surroundings of the hollow fiber membrane bundle are filled with air when γ-ray irradiation is performed, and oxygen gas is also dissolved in the water in the hollow fiber membrane. Therefore, the effect of suppressing the degradation of polyvinylpyrrolidone by γ-ray irradiation due to moisture in the hollow fiber membrane is reduced, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide elution is increased by γ-ray irradiation. Therefore, the long-term storage stability of the blood purifier deteriorated. Moreover, the carboxyl group and the peroxide content in the hollow fiber membrane after being irradiated with γ-rays were high, the LDH activity was large and the antithrombotic property was inferior, and the quality of the blood purifier was low.

(Comparative Example 7)
In the method of Example 3, except that the water charged in the assembled blood purifier was changed to use RO water having a dissolved oxygen amount of 8 ppm without degassing, and the storage time until sterilization was 40 hours, Sterilization was performed in the same manner as in Example 3. The results are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 4. In this comparative example, since the water present in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane was not deoxygenated, the hollow fiber membrane was deteriorated by γ-ray irradiation, and the hydrogen peroxide elution amount was increased. For this reason, the storage stability of the blood purifier was poor. Moreover, the carboxyl group and the peroxide content in the hollow fiber membrane after being irradiated with γ-rays were high, the LDH activity was large, and the antithrombogenicity was inferior. Furthermore, since the storage period from sealing to γ-ray irradiation is short, the water permeability performance during priming was poor.

(Comparative Example 8)
In the method of Comparative Example 6, except that the purge of deaerated water filled in the assembled blood purifier and the moisture content adjustment in the hollow fiber membrane were changed to dry air, and the storage time until sterilization was 216 hours, As in Comparative Example 6, the blood purifier was assembled and sterilized. The oxygen concentration in the blood purifier was 21% by volume. The results are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 4. The blood purifier obtained in this comparative example was worse in quality than the blood purifier obtained in comparative example 6.

(Comparative Example 9)
In the method of Example 3, without adjusting the moisture content of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane, the moisture content remains in a state of 2.5% by mass (that is, a state in which neither deaerated water is filled nor expelled). A blood purifier was obtained in the same manner as in Example 3 except that the γ-ray irradiation was changed. Polyvinylpyrrolidone in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membranes loaded in the blood purifier obtained in this comparative example has a low water content in the hollow fiber membranes, so that the crosslinking of polyvinylpyrrolidone did not proceed. Therefore, the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone eluted was large and the quality was low. Moreover, since the moisture content in the hollow fiber membrane was low, the degradation reaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone was increased by γ-ray irradiation, and the hydrogen peroxide elution amount was increased. Therefore, the storage stability of the blood purifier was not good. Moreover, the carboxyl group and peroxide content in the hollow fiber membrane after receiving γ-ray irradiation were high, the LDH activity was large, and the antithrombogenicity was inferior. In addition, the water permeability performance during priming was poor.

Example 4
In the same manner as in Example 2, 17% by mass of polysulfone (Amoco P-1700), 5% by mass of polyvinylpyrrolidone (BASF Kollidon (registered trademark) K-60), 73% by mass of dimethylacetamide (DMAc), A film forming solution consisting of 5% by mass of water was prepared. As the polyvinyl pyrrolidone, one having a hydrogen peroxide content of 120 ppm was used. The obtained film-forming solution was passed through a two-stage filter of 15 μm and 15 μm, and simultaneously with a 35 mass% DMAc aqueous solution at 60 ° C. degassed as a hollow forming agent from a tube-in orifice nozzle heated to 40 ° C. After discharging and passing through a 600 mm air gap portion cut off from the outside air by a spinning tube, it was solidified in 50 ° C. water. The nozzle slit width of the tube-in-orifice nozzle used was an average of 60 μm, the maximum 61 μm, the minimum 59 μm, the ratio of the maximum and minimum slit widths was 1.03, and the draft ratio was 1.01. The hollow fiber membrane bundle pulled up from the coagulation bath was passed through a water washing tank at 85 ° C. for 45 seconds to remove the solvent and excess polyvinylpyrrolidone, and then wound up. About 10,000 bundles of the hollow fiber membranes were immersed in pure water, washed in an autoclave at 121 ° C. for 1 hour, and dried in the same manner as in Example 1. The water content was 3.8% by mass.

  The highest temperature reached of the hollow fiber membrane bundle during the drying process was 56 ° C. The roller for changing the yarn path during the spinning process was a mirror-finished surface, and the fixing guide was a satin-finished surface. The obtained selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle had an inner diameter of 200.5 μm and a film thickness of 45.0 μm. As is clear from Tables 1 and 2, the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide was stable at a low level in all parts, and the storage stability of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane was excellent.

  A blood purifier was assembled in the same manner as in Example 1 using the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle thus obtained. Nitrogen was bubbled through deoxygenated water having a dissolved oxygen concentration of 0.05 ppm by passing RO water through a hollow fiber membrane degassing module to prepare nitrogen-saturated water. After filling the blood side of the blood purifier with this nitrogen-saturated water at 200 ml / min for 5 minutes, the blood side is stopped, and the filling water is expelled with 60 ° C. air at a pressure of 0.1 Pa, and the ventilation is continued. Thus, the water content in the hollow fiber membrane was adjusted to 10% by mass. The blood and dialysate inlet / outlet of the blood purifier dried under the above conditions are sealed with a cap made of ethylene-propylene synthetic rubber, a biaxially stretched polyamide film having an outer layer thickness of 25 μm and an unstretched polyethylene having an inner layer thickness of 50 μm. It sealed in the packaging bag which consists of a laminated body of a film. 50 hours after sealing, it was changed to γ-rays and sterilized by irradiation with an electron beam using an electron beam irradiation machine having an acceleration voltage of 5000 KV.

  As a result of conducting a leak test of the obtained blood purifier, no adhesion failure caused by the sticking of the hollow fiber membranes was observed. When the hollow fiber membrane bundle was cut out from the sterilized blood purifier and subjected to the eluate test, the polyvinylpyrrolidone elution amount was 5 ppm and the maximum hydrogen peroxide elution amount was 3 ppm, which was a satisfactory level. Further, when the hollow fiber membrane bundle was taken out from the blood purifier and the outer surface was observed with a microscope, defects such as scratches were not observed. In addition, citrated fresh cow blood was flowed to the blood purifier at a blood flow rate of 200 mL / min and a filtration rate of 10 mL / min, but no blood cell leak was observed. Endotoxin filtered from the outer side of the hollow fiber to the inner side of the hollow fiber was below the detection limit and was at a level with no problem. In addition, the storage stability of the blood purifier obtained in this example is good, and UV is the dialysis artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard for the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane bundle in the blood purifier after storage for one year. The maximum value of (220-350 nm) absorbance was 0.06, and the reference value of 0.10 or less was maintained. Further, the carboxyl group and peroxide contents in the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane after electron beam irradiation were appropriate, the LDH activity was low, and the antithrombogenicity was good.

  The evaluation results are shown in Table 3.

(Examples 5 and 6)
In the method of Example 3, selective permeation was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that after sealing and after leaving for 24 hours and 40 hours at room temperature, γ-ray irradiation was performed under the same conditions as in Example 3. A hollow fiber membrane and a blood purifier were obtained. These characteristics are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 4.
The permselective hollow fiber membrane and blood purifier obtained in this example have a suppressed degradation reaction of the hollow fiber membrane and are excellent in antithrombogenicity and storage stability. Since the time until the line treatment is short, the blood purifier obtained in Example 3 is slightly inferior in the performance of water permeability at the time of priming. It has been shown that the elapsed time until is affected.

  Conventionally, no quality control method focusing on the behavior of hydrogen peroxide in a hollow fiber membrane bundle has been known at all. The quality of the hollow fiber membrane bundle can be examined from many viewpoints. For example, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is cut into 27 cm in the longitudinal direction, and is divided into 10 equal intervals of 2.7 cm. Measure the elution amount of hydrogen peroxide at each site. A difference A is determined based on the maximum and minimum elution amounts. And an average elution amount is calculated by averaging it. Further, the maximum value B of the difference between the maximum elution amount or the minimum elution amount and the average elution amount is set as the degree of quality variation. FIG. 2 shows a variation state of the first embodiment. In the case of Comparative Example 1, it can be obtained similarly. The values calculated in this way are summarized in Table 2.

  When the hydrogen peroxide elution amount is particularly about 5 ppm as a boundary, the relationship of the quality variation of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is examined, as shown in FIG. When the hydrogen peroxide elution amount increases, an unbalance occurs in the hydrogen peroxide elution amount of each part in 10 equal parts of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, so that the difference in the elution amount of each part increases. In that case, the difference in elution of hydrogen peroxide with the same material is unfavorable in terms of quality control because it affects the performance and function of the hollow fiber membrane. It can be understood that the fact that there is no unbalance in each part of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is also excellent in the quality of the hollow fiber membrane. It can be understood that the range of about 5 ppm is a critical range in terms of suppressing variation.

  FIG. 4 shows blood filled with a hollow fiber membrane bundle in which the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone eluted from the hollow fiber membrane bundle is suppressed to 10 ppm or less and the amount of hydrogen peroxide from the hollow fiber membrane bundle is suppressed to 5 ppm or less. The behavior of UV absorbance when the purifier is stored for one year is shown. Those whose elution amount of hydrogen peroxide is suppressed to 5 ppm or less can suppress the UV absorbance to 0.1 or less even when stored for a long period of time, so the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the hollow fiber membrane bundle is 5 ppm or less. It can be said that the suppression significantly contributes to the stability of the quality of the blood purifier.

  Since the blood purifier of the present invention is of a dry type, it has advantages such as being light, not freezing, and difficult to propagate various germs. In addition, since the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane loaded in the blood purifier of the present invention does not contain a radical scavenger, the radical scavenger is washed and removed in advance when used for blood purification. There is an advantage that the operation to perform is unnecessary. Furthermore, in the present invention, even in the dry state and in the absence of a radical scavenger, even if irradiated with radiation, the degradation of the selectively permeable hollow fiber membrane due to irradiation is suppressed, which cannot be achieved by the conventional technology. Therefore, the generation of hydrogen peroxide, carboxyl group content and peroxide caused by the deterioration reaction is small, and the blood purifier of the present invention has excellent antithrombogenicity and excellent long-term storage stability. Has the advantage of being. For example, the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane loaded in the blood purifier has a reduced hydrogen peroxide elution amount even when irradiated with radiation, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone caused by the hydrogen peroxide, etc. Therefore, even if the blood purifier is stored for a long time, the maximum value of UV (220-350 nm) absorbance, which is the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard, can be maintained at 0.10 or less, and blood purification There is an advantage that safety can be ensured when the vessel is stored for a long time. Therefore, it is important to contribute to the industry.

It is sectional drawing of a blood purifier. It is a schematic diagram which shows the hydrogen peroxide elution amount of each site | part when a hollow fiber membrane is divided into 10 equal parts. It is a schematic diagram which shows the variation degree of the quality in a hollow fiber membrane bundle. It is a schematic diagram which shows the change of UV light absorbency during the preservation | save period of a blood purifier.

Explanation of symbols

1: Blood purifier 2: Housing 3: Hollow fiber membrane bundle 4: Adhesive resin 5: Cap 6a: Dialysate inlet 6b: Dialysate outlet 7a: Blood inlet 7b: Blood outlet

Claims (8)

  In a blood purifier produced using a polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle containing polyvinylpyrrolidone, elution of polyvinylpyrrolidone from the hollow fiber membrane bundle after irradiation is 10 ppm or less, and the hollow fiber membrane bundle Is divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction, and when the test defined by the dialysis-type artificial kidney device manufacturing approval standard is carried out for each part, the hydrogen peroxide elution amount of the extract at each part is 5 ppm or less in all parts A blood purifier having a carboxyl group content in the hollow fiber membrane of 100 to 800 nmol / g and a peroxide content of 200 nmol / g or less.   The blood purifier according to claim 1, wherein the water content in the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle is 600% by mass or less.   The blood purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the blood purifier is irradiated in the absence of a radical scavenger.   All the blood and dialysate inlets and outlets of the blood purifier filled with a polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane bundle containing polyvinylpyrrolidone whose water content was adjusted to 5 to 600% by mass using deaerated water were sealed. The blood purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blood purifier is sealed and irradiated with a packaging bag that blocks outside air and water vapor in a state.   The blood purifier according to claim 4, wherein the deaerated water present in and around the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane is deoxygenated water.   The blood purifier according to claim 4, wherein the deaerated water existing in and around the polysulfone-based permselective hollow fiber membrane is an inert gas saturated water.   The blood purifier according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the blood purifier is irradiated with radiation after at least 48 hours have passed since all the blood and dialysate entrances and exits of the blood purifier are sealed.   After storing the blood purifier after irradiation for one year or more at room temperature, the hollow fiber membrane bundle is taken out from the blood purifier, and the hollow fiber membrane bundle is divided into 10 pieces in the longitudinal direction. 8. The maximum value of UV (220 to 350 nm) absorbance in the hollow fiber membrane extract when a test defined by the kidney device manufacturing approval standard is performed is 0.10 or less, The blood purifier according to any one of the above.

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