JP4183589B2 - Hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device that can easily and safely carry air mixed from the treatment solution inlet to the treatment solution outlet.

  Conventionally, as a hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device having a hollow fiber membrane bundle, hemodialyzers, hemofilters, hemodialyzers, plasma separators and the like used for hemodialysis therapy or hemofiltration therapy are known. ing. For example, the hemodialyzer is used in an artificial dialysis therapy for removing waste or harmful substances in the blood of a renal failure patient, and has a cylindrical casing 10 as shown in FIG. A processing liquid inlet 11 is provided in the part, and a processing liquid outlet 12 is provided in the other end part. The hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 in which several hundred to several tens of thousands of hollow fiber membranes are bundled is housed in the casing 10, and both end portions are mainly focused by a potting agent 14 such as polyurethane resin, and are formed on the inner wall of the casing 10. It is fixed.

  Here, as the material of the hollow fiber membrane used, a membrane made of regenerated cellulose, or a membrane made of a synthetic polymer such as polyacrylonitrile, polysulfone, or polyethylene is known. Then, the liquid inlet header 15 to be processed is provided at the end of the casing 10 on the side having the processing liquid outlet 12, and the liquid outlet header 16 is provided at the end on the side having the processing liquid inlet 11.

  Such a hemodialyzer flows the dialysate as the treatment liquid and the blood as the treatment liquid in a counter-current manner, and a diffusion phenomenon due to a concentration gradient between the blood and the dialysate through the membrane, It has a function of transferring waste or harmful substances in blood to the dialysate side by utilizing a filtration phenomenon caused by a pressure gradient between blood and dialysate.

  As described above, the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device allows a body fluid, particularly blood, to flow into the hollow fiber membrane as a liquid to be treated, so that if the hollow fiber breaks, a large amount of the liquid to be treated flows out of the body. This can cause serious deterioration in the patient being treated. Therefore, breakage of the hollow fiber must be avoided from the viewpoint of safety. Therefore, in order to prevent the hollow fiber from being damaged, a shape in which a baffle plate is arranged corresponding to the treatment liquid inlet has been proposed so as not to directly apply the impact of the incoming treatment liquid to the yarn (for example, Patent Document 1. The baffle plate is described as a rib.) However, the treatment liquid branched by the baffle plate gives a shearing stress to the yarn in the absence of the baffle plate, and damage to the yarn may occur. In order to prevent this, the shape which has arrange | positioned the baffle board over the hollow fiber membrane bundle perimeter is also proposed. When the baffle plate is arranged over the entire circumference of the hollow fiber membrane bundle in this way, there is also an effect that the incoming processing liquid is dispersed over the entire circumference of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and uniformly poured into the bundle.

  In the conventional example shown in FIG. 8, the baffle plate 17 is disposed over the entire circumference of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 for the purpose of protecting the hollow fibers and the uniform flow of the treatment liquid in the hollow fiber membrane bundle. With such a shape, a space 18 through which the processing liquid flows is formed between the casing 10 and the baffle plate 17. Normally, during body fluid treatment therapy including hemodialysis, the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device is installed on the treatment liquid inlet 11 side and the liquid outlet header 16 side to be treated.

  Here, air may flow from the treatment liquid inlet 11 side together with the dialysate at the start and during the treatment. The mixed air 40 accumulates in the space 18 not in contact with the hollow fiber membrane bundle due to the influence of buoyancy. Such a phenomenon that the air 40 accumulates gives the patient being treated the impression that the dialysate has accumulated in that portion, which may have a mental adverse effect. Further, since the mixed air 40 is accumulated in the space 18, the flowability of the dialysate around the hollow fiber bundle may be deteriorated, and the dialysis performance may be deteriorated.

  Therefore, normally, as shown in FIG. 9, by tilting the hollow fiber membrane type processor so that the inclination angle of the casing 10 is 90 degrees or more, the air 40 is moved to a place in contact with the hollow fiber membrane, A vibration is applied to the hollow fiber membrane type processor so that the air 40 flows into the hollow fiber membrane bundle and is carried to the treatment liquid outlet 12 side. However, such an operation during treatment is very complicated, and there is a risk that body fluid such as blood leaks when the attached tube or the like is detached.

  Conventionally, a configuration as shown in Patent Document 2 has been proposed for the purpose of preventing the retention of the treatment liquid. Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which the inclination angle of the inner wall of the transition portion existing between the casing central portion and the casing end portion is increased or decreased as it moves from the liquid outlet to the opposite side. Yes. However, in the case of having a baffle plate (shielding member) on the entire circumference of the hollow fiber bundle, the air mixed between the baffle plate and the transition portion has an inclination angle of 90 degrees even in the configuration of Patent Document 2. If you don't do that, you can't remove it.

JP 2000-42100 A JP-A-8-173527

  Therefore, the present invention provides a hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device having a function capable of safely carrying air mixed into the treatment liquid side in the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device to the treatment solution outlet by a simple operation. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device according to the present invention is formed by integrally molding a header portion having a treatment liquid inlet / outlet and a housing portion holding a hollow fiber. In the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device including a casing having a structure in which an end portion of the housing portion protrudes in the header portion, an inner wall surface of the header portion and an end of the protruding housing portion are provided in the header portion. The outer wall surface of the portion is joined by a connecting surface, and the distance between the housing side joining line where the connecting surface joins the outer wall surface of the end portion of the housing portion and the casing end surface is further away from the processing liquid inlet / outlet. It is characterized by decreasing. Thereby, it becomes possible to carry the mixed air to the treatment liquid outlet by a simple operation of inclining by a remarkably small angle as compared with the conventional case.

  In addition, an inclination angle of the connection surface with respect to the casing end surface is larger than a maximum inclination angle of the housing side joining line with respect to the casing end surface. Thereby, the mixed air can be discharged more efficiently.

  Further, in the vicinity of the opposite side of the treatment liquid inlet / outlet, the housing side joining line of the connecting surface reaches the end of the housing part, and there is no outer wall surface at the end of the housing part. Thereby, the mixed air can be discharged more reliably.

  Further, when the housing side joining line is projected onto a plane including the central axis of the casing and the central axis of the processing liquid inlet / outlet, the projected line is a straight line. Thereby, the complexity of the air removal operation during the treatment is further reduced.

  The hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device according to the present invention is a simple operation that tilts the air mixed in the treatment liquid side in the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device by a remarkably small angle as compared with the conventional, safely, and It can be efficiently transported to the processing liquid outlet.

  Hereinafter, the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional schematic view showing an embodiment of the hollow fiber membrane type dialyzer of the present invention. The hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device of this embodiment is also used as a hemodialyzer, and has a casing 10, which has a treatment liquid inlet 11 at one end and a treatment liquid outlet 12 at the other end. Is provided. The hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 in which several hundred to several tens of thousands of hollow fiber membranes are bundled is housed in the casing 10, and both ends thereof are converged by the potting agent 14, and the inner wall of the casing 10 is fixed. Then, the liquid inlet header 15 to be processed is provided at the end of the casing 10 on the side having the processing liquid outlet 12, and the liquid outlet header 16 is provided at the end on the side having the processing liquid inlet. Here, the treatment liquid is, for example, dialysis liquid, and the liquid to be treated is, for example, blood.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic vertical sectional view of the vicinity of the treatment liquid inlet 11. The structure in the vicinity of the treatment liquid inlet 11 will be described below, but the structure in the vicinity of the treatment liquid outlet 12 may be the same, a structure similar to the conventional structure, or another structure different from the conventional one.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), a portion of the casing 10 that is in contact with the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 and holds the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 is defined as a housing portion 20. Further, the casing 10 has a processing liquid inlet 11 and a processing liquid outlet 12, holds the processing liquid without contacting the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13, and defines a portion having a larger inner diameter than the housing portion 20 as a header portion 10A. In FIG. 2B, for convenience of explanation, the housing portion 20 and the header portion 10A are shown separately, but the housing portion 20 and the header portion 10A are integrally formed by a mold.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the end portion of the housing portion 20 protrudes into the header portion 10A, and the processing liquid flowing in from the processing liquid inlet 11 collides with the outer wall surface 22 of the housing, and the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 is formed. It is configured not to give impact directly. That is, the end portion of the housing portion 20 protrudes into the header portion 10 </ b> A in a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a function as a baffle plate surrounding the entire circumference of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13. The housing outer wall surface 22 may have a through hole or a slit. Further, an inner wall surface in contact with the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 in the housing part 20 is defined as a housing inner wall surface 23. Here, the inner wall surface 23 of the housing is not limited to the cylinder as shown in FIG. 2 and may be any curved surface.

  The inner wall surface of the header portion 10A is defined as the header portion inner wall surface 21. A surface that transitions from the header inner wall surface 21 to the housing outer wall surface 22 is defined as a connecting surface 24. Further, a joining curve where the connecting surface 24 and the housing outer wall surface 22 are joined is defined as a housing side joining line 25. Further, a joining curve between the header inner wall surface 21 and the connecting surface 24 is defined as a header side joining line 26.

  Further, the outer end face of the casing 10 sealed with the potting agent is defined as a casing end face 27. Further, the central axis of the casing 10 is defined as the casing central axis 28. Further, the central axis of the processing liquid inlet 11 is defined as a processing liquid inlet central axis 29. Further, an acute angle formed by the connecting surface 24 and the parallel surface of the casing end surface 27 is defined as an angle 30 of the connecting surface 24 with respect to the casing end surface 27. Further, a line obtained by projecting the housing side joining line 25 onto a plane formed by the casing central axis 28 and the processing liquid inlet central axis 29 is defined as a projected curve 32. An acute angle formed by the tangent line of the projection curve 32 and the parallel plane of the casing end surface 27 is defined as an angle 33 of the housing side joining line 25 with respect to the casing end surface 27 of the projection curve 32.

  Here, the distance between the housing side joining line 25 where the connecting surface 24 joins the housing outer wall surface 22 and the casing end surface 27 is configured to decrease as the distance from the processing liquid inlet 11 increases. That is, the length 35 along the casing central axis 28 between each point on the housing side joining line 25 and the casing end surface 27 decreases as the casing central axis 28 is rotated 180 degrees from the processing liquid inlet central axis 29 with the rotational axis as the rotational axis. It is configured as follows. Accordingly, the space 18 between the header inner wall surface 21 and the housing outer wall surface 22 through which the processing liquid flows is narrowed away from the processing liquid inlet 11, that is, the end of the housing portion 20 (housing outer wall surface 22). Shallow against.

  Further, the angle 30 of the connecting surface 24 with respect to the casing end surface 27 is formed larger than the maximum angle of the angle 33 with respect to the casing end surface 27 of the housing side joining line 25. That is, the maximum angle 30 between the connecting surface 24 and the casing end surface 27 is configured to be larger than the maximum angle 33 between the projection curve 32 of the housing side joining line 25 and the casing end surface 27.

  By adopting such a shape, it is possible to remove the mixed air more efficiently than before. As shown in FIG. 9, in the conventional shape, the inclination angle of the casing 10 for carrying air to the treatment liquid outlet 12 was 90 degrees or more. On the other hand, in the configuration of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the casing 10 is tilted so as to be equal to or greater than the maximum angle of angle 33 and less than 30, so that the air 40 is efficiently discharged. It is possible to carry to

  FIG. 3 is an overall view illustrating how air is removed, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view illustrating how air is removed. In FIG. 3, the reference line of the casing center axis 28 is a vertical line 36, and the angle when tilted is defined as the tilt angle 34. At this time, the casing 10 is tilted so that the processing liquid inlet 11 and the processing liquid outlet 12 face downward.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the air 40 on the processing liquid inlet 11 side in the space 18 through which the processing liquid flows moves to the side opposite to the processing liquid inlet 11 by tilting the casing 10 by an angle 33 or more. On the other hand, since the connecting surface 24 is close to the end of the housing part 20 on the side opposite to the processing liquid inlet 11, the space 18 is small. For this reason, the air 40 having a diameter larger than the height of the housing outer wall surface 22 on the opposite side of the treatment liquid inlet 11 is in contact with the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 and flows into the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 together with the treatment liquid. It flows to the processing liquid outlet 12.

  If the casing 10 is inclined at an angle 30 or more between the connecting surface 24 and the casing end surface 27, the air 40 accumulates in the vicinity of the inner wall surface 21 of the header portion on the opposite side of the processing liquid inlet 11 in the space 18. The efficiency of removal will be reduced. For this reason, the inclination angle 34 of the casing 10 is preferably equal to or greater than the maximum angle of the angle 33 and less than the angle 30.

  By configuring as described above, the angle at which the casing 10 should be tilted to exhaust the air 40 is remarkably reduced, so that the complexity of the air removal operation during the treatment is reduced, and the attached tube or the like is detached. This reduces the risk of leakage of body fluids such as blood. Further, the amount of air still remaining when discharged can be greatly reduced, and air can be easily and efficiently eliminated.

  Another structure of the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of the treatment liquid inlet 11 in the casing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the vicinity of the side opposite to the processing liquid inlet 11, the housing side joining line 25 of the connecting surface 24 reaches the end of the housing part 20, and the housing outer wall surface 22 exists at the end of the housing part 20 It has a structure that does not. By adopting such a shape, when the casing 10 is tilted as described above, the air collected near the opposite side of the treatment liquid inlet 11 on the housing side joining line 25 is all in contact with the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13. become. Therefore, the air 40 can enter the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 more reliably and can be carried to the treatment liquid outlet 12. For this reason, the amount of remaining air can be extremely reduced, and the working time for air removal can be greatly shortened.

  Another structure of the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of the treatment liquid inlet 11 in the casing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the vicinity of the side opposite to the processing liquid inlet 11, the housing outer wall surface 22 does not exist in the same manner as described above. Further, in this configuration, the projection curve 32 obtained by projecting the housing side joining line 25 on the plane formed by the casing central axis 28 and the processing liquid inlet central axis 29 is shaped to be a straight line.

  Here, as described with reference to FIG. 4, in order to move the air 40 to the side opposite to the processing liquid inlet 11, the maximum angle of the angle 33 between the projection curve 32 of the housing side joining line 25 and the casing end surface 27 is determined. It is necessary to tilt the casing 10 greatly. On the other hand, as long as the projection curve 32 is curved, the maximum angle is a portion that is larger than the angle formed by the straight line connecting the end on the side opposite to the end on the treatment liquid inlet 11 side of the housing side joining line 25. Exists. Therefore, when the projection curve 32 is a straight line, the maximum angle of the angle 33 formed by the projection curve 32 and the casing end surface 27 is the smallest.

  Therefore, by configuring as described above, the angle at which the casing 10 is tilted can be minimized. Thereby, the complexity of the air removal operation during the treatment can be further reduced, and the risk of leakage of body fluids such as blood due to removal of the attached tube or the like can be further reduced.

  The effect of the present invention can be obtained even if the angle 30 of the connecting surface 24 with respect to the casing end surface 27 is smaller than the angle 33 of the housing side joining line 25 with respect to the casing end surface 27. For example, FIG. 7 is a schematic enlarged vertical sectional view of the vicinity of the treatment liquid inlet 11 of the casing 10 according to another example, in which the angle 30 of the connecting surface 24 is 0 degrees, that is, parallel to the casing end surface 27. Even in such a case, there is an effect that the remaining air 40 can be reduced as compared with the conventional example shown in FIG.

  The present invention will be described based on examples.

[Example 1]
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the projection curve 32 obtained by projecting the housing side joining line 25 onto the plane formed by the casing central axis 28 and the processing liquid inlet central axis 29 is a straight line. A hollow fiber membrane type dialysis treatment device was prepared using a casing 10 having

  As with normal dialysis treatment, this processor is installed so that the processing liquid inlet 11 and the liquid outlet header 16 are at the bottom, with the processing liquid at a flow rate of 500 ml / min and the processing liquid at a flow rate of 200 ml / min. It was made to flow countercurrently. After mixing a small amount of air on the treatment liquid side, the angle between the projection curve 32 of the housing side joining line 25 and the casing end surface 27 is not less than 33, and the angle between the connection surface 24 and the casing end surface 27 is not more than 30; and The casing 10 was tilted so that the treatment liquid inlet 11 faced down. Then, after the mixed air moved to the vicinity of the side opposite to the treatment liquid inlet 11, it flowed into the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 and moved to the treatment liquid outlet 12, and the mixed air could be removed.

[Comparative Example 1]
As shown in FIG. 8, the baffle plate 17 is disposed over the entire circumference of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13, and the casing 10 having a shape in which a space 18 through which the processing liquid flows is formed between the baffle plate 17 and the casing 10. Was used to create a hollow fiber membrane dialysis machine.

  As in the example, the processing liquid inlet 11 and the processing liquid outlet header 16 are placed below so that the processing liquid flows in a counter flow at a flow rate of 500 ml / min and the processing liquid at a flow rate of 200 ml / min. Washed away. After a small amount of air was mixed into the processing liquid side, the casing 10 was gradually tilted to 90 degrees so that the processing liquid inlet 11 faced down, but the mixed air remained in the space 18 between the casing 10 and the baffle plate 17. However, it did not flow into the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13. Furthermore, when the casing is tilted to the treatment liquid inlet 11 side so as to be 90 degrees or more, the air 40 flows into the hollow fiber membrane bundle 13 and flows to the inside, and moves to the treatment liquid outlet 12 to remove the mixed air. I was able to.

  As is clear from the examples and comparative examples, the angle at which the casing 10 should be tilted to discharge the air 40 mixed on the processing liquid side is significantly smaller in the shape of the present invention than in the conventional shape. Therefore, it is possible to provide a hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device having a function that can be transported to the treatment solution outlet safely and with a simple operation.

  The present invention is a hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device having high operability and safety, and can be suitably used in the field of body fluid purification therapy such as hemodialysis therapy or blood filtration therapy.

It is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of the hollow fiber membrane type dialyzer of this invention. It is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of process liquid inlet vicinity. It is a whole figure explaining the mode of air removal. It is an expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the mode of air removal. It is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of the vicinity of the process liquid inlet in a casing. It is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of the vicinity of the process liquid inlet in a casing. It is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of the process liquid inlet vicinity of the casing which concerns on another example. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device concerning a conventional example. It is a figure explaining the mode of the air removal which concerns on a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Casing
10A ... Header
11… Processing liquid inlet
12 ... Processing liquid outlet
13 ... Hollow fiber membrane bundle
14… Potting agent
15… Processed liquid inlet header
16… Processed liquid outlet header
17… baffle plate
18… space
20… Housing part
21… Inner wall surface
22… Housing outer wall
23… Inner wall surface
24… Connecting surface
25… Housing side connecting wire
26… Header side joining wire
27… casing end face
28… casing central axis
29… Process liquid inlet central axis
30 ... Angle
32… Projection curve
33… Angle
34… Inclination angle
35… length
36… Vertical line
40 ... Air

Claims (4)

A hollow fiber membrane-type body fluid comprising a casing having a structure in which a header portion having a treatment liquid inlet / outlet and a housing portion for holding a hollow fiber are integrally molded, and an end portion of the housing portion protrudes in the header portion In the processor
In the header portion, the inner wall surface of the header portion and the outer wall surface of the protruding end of the housing portion are joined by a connecting surface,
A hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device, wherein a distance between a housing side joining line where the connection surface joins an outer wall surface of an end portion of the housing portion and a casing end surface decreases as the distance from the treatment solution inlet / outlet decreases. . The hollow fiber membrane type body fluid treatment device according to claim 1, wherein an angle of the connecting surface with respect to the casing end surface is larger than a maximum angle of the angle with respect to the casing end surface of the housing side joining line. 2. The housing-side joining line of the connecting surface reaches the end of the housing portion in the vicinity of the opposite side of the processing liquid inlet / outlet, and there is no outer wall surface at the end of the housing portion. Hollow fiber membrane body fluid treatment device. The hollow fiber membrane body fluid according to claim 1, wherein when the housing side joining line is projected onto a plane including a central axis of the casing and a central axis of the treatment liquid inlet / outlet, the projected line is a straight line. Processor.

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