JP4533851B2 - Artificial lung - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an artificial lung.

  Conventionally, as an artificial lung, one having a configuration in which gas exchange is performed using a hollow fiber membrane layer in which a large number of hollow fiber membranes are laminated is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This artificial lung has a housing, a hollow fiber membrane layer (hollow fiber membrane sheet laminate) housed in the housing, a blood inlet and a blood outlet, a gas inlet and a gas outlet, Gas exchange, that is, oxygenation and decarbonation gas is performed between blood and gas through the hollow fiber membrane.

  By the way, in the artificial lung having such a configuration, bubbles may be mixed in the blood flowing in from the blood inlet, but in this case, the bubbles are preferably removed by the hollow fiber membrane layer.

  However, since the hollow fiber membrane layer is designed to efficiently perform gas exchange and is not originally intended to remove bubbles, the hollow fiber membrane layer does not sufficiently remove bubbles. In addition, there is a problem that the blood flows out from the blood outlet while being mixed with bubbles and is transferred downstream of the oxygenator.

JP 11-47268 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide an artificial lung capable of preventing bubbles in blood from flowing out from a blood outflow portion.

Such an object is achieved by the present inventions (1) to (7) below.
(1) a housing;
A hollow fiber membrane layer in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes housed in the housing and having a gas exchange function are integrated;
Using the lumen of each hollow fiber membrane as a gas flow path, a gas inflow portion and a gas outflow portion respectively provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the gas flow path,
With the outside of each hollow fiber membrane as a blood flow path, a blood inflow portion and a blood outflow portion provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the blood flow path ,
A bubble removing means provided on the blood outflow portion side of the hollow fiber membrane layer, having a function of capturing bubbles in blood and discharging the captured bubbles out of the blood flow path ;
The air bubble removing means is located between the filter member having a function of capturing air bubbles in the blood and the hollow fiber membrane layer and the filter member, and the air bubbles captured by the filter member are transmitted through the inner cavity thereof. An exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer in which a large number of exhaust hollow fiber membranes having a function of discharging are integrated, and an exhaust port for exhausting the gas in the lumen of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane to the outside of the housing ,
The filter member is provided so as to be in contact with the surface on the blood outflow portion side of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer so as to cover almost all of the surface,
When air bubbles are mixed in the blood flowing in from the blood inflow portion, the air bubbles are captured by the filter member, and the inside of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane is passed through the wall portion of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane. An artificial lung configured to enter a cavity and be discharged from the exhaust port .

(2) The artificial lung according to (1) , wherein a gap is formed between the filter member and the housing.

(3) the filter member, have a hydrophilic oxygenator according to (1) or (2) are those which form a mesh.
(4) Each of the exhaust hollow fiber membranes has a lumen that communicates with the exhaust port and functions as an exhaust gas flow path through which the gas constituting the bubble passes. ) The artificial lung according to any one of the above.

(5) The hollow fiber membrane layer has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole ,
The artificial lung according to any one of (1) to (4) , wherein the filter member has a substantially rectangular flat sheet shape .

(6) The hollow fiber membrane layer has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole ,
The artificial lung according to any one of (1) to (4) , wherein the filter member is formed by winding a flat sheet into a cylindrical shape .
(7) The artificial lung according to any one of (1) to (6) , wherein the hollow fiber membrane and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane are arranged in parallel to each other .

  According to the present invention, by providing the bubble removing means on the blood outflow portion side of the hollow fiber membrane layer, the bubbles in the blood can be reliably captured and the captured bubbles can be reliably removed out of the blood channel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent bubbles from flowing out from the blood outflow portion.

Hereinafter, an artificial lung of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
<First Embodiment>
1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the oxygenator according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 (cross-sectional side view), and FIG. 3 is the oxygenator shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the lower right portion (fixing portion of the hollow fiber membrane layer, the filter member, and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer) in FIG. 2. 1 and 2, the upper side is “upper” or “upper”, the lower side is “lower” or “lower”, the left side is “blood inflow side” or “upstream side”, and the right side is “blood outflow side”. Or, it will be described as “downstream”.

  The oxygenator 1 of the illustrated embodiment is an oxygenator with a heat exchanger that includes an oxygenator 1A that performs gas exchange with blood and a heat exchanger (heat exchanger) 1B that performs heat exchange with blood. For example, it is installed in a blood extracorporeal circuit.

  The oxygenator 1 includes a housing 2 on the oxygenator portion 1A side and a heat exchanger housing 5 on the heat exchanger 1B side, which are connected (joined) or integrated. First, the oxygenator 1A will be described.

  The housing 2 has a rectangular tube shape, that is, a cylindrical housing main body (hereinafter referred to as a “square cylindrical housing main body”) 21 having a quadrangular (rectangular or square) cross section, and an upper end opening of the rectangular cylindrical housing main body 21. It consists of a dish-shaped first header (upper lid) 22 to be sealed and a dish-shaped second header (lower lid) 23 that seals the lower end opening of the rectangular tubular housing body 21. .

  The rectangular tubular housing body 21, the first header 22 and the second header 23 are, for example, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, ester resins (for example, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate), and styrene. Resin (for example, polystyrene, MS resin, MBS resin), resin materials such as polycarbonate, various ceramic materials, metal materials, and the like are used. The first header 22 and the second header 23 are fixed to the rectangular cylindrical housing body 21 in a liquid-tight manner by a method such as fusion or bonding with an adhesive.

  A tubular blood outflow port 28 protrudes from the lower part of the rectangular tubular housing body 21 on the blood outflow side. A tubular gas inflow port 26 protrudes from the upper portion of the first header 22. In addition, a tubular gas outflow port 27 and a tubular exhaust port (exhaust port) 29 are formed to project from the lower portion of the second header 23. The gas inflow port 26 is bent at a substantially right angle in the middle thereof, and the tip portion is directed in a direction parallel to the blood outflow port 28.

  Such a housing 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Due to the shape of the housing 2, the oxygenator 1 of the present invention has the following effects. That is, firstly, since the housing 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the hollow fiber membrane 31 can be efficiently accommodated therein, and the dead space is small. Therefore, efficient gas exchange can be performed with the small artificial lung 1. It can be carried out. Secondly, when the housing 2 is fixed to a fixing substrate, for example, the outer surface of the housing 2 is a flat surface, so that the fixing can be performed easily and reliably. Thirdly, when the hollow fiber membrane 31 is housed inside the housing 2, the inside of the housing 2 is defined by a flat surface, and therefore the hollow fiber membrane 31 is bent with respect to the hollow fiber membrane 31. The load is prevented.

  In the present invention, the entire shape of the housing 2 is not necessarily a complete rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, all or part of the corners may be chamfered or rounded. A shape in which a portion is missing, a shape to which a deformed portion is added, or the like may be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in the housing 2, a hollow fiber membrane layer 3 in which a number of hollow fiber membranes 31 having a gas exchange function are integrated, and a blood outflow port 28 ( The filter member 41 and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 as the bubble removing means 4 provided on the blood outflow portion side are accommodated. These layers and members are arranged in the order of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3, the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42, and the filter member 41 from the blood inflow side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, most of the hollow fiber membranes 31 constituting the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 are arranged substantially in parallel. In this case, each hollow fiber membrane 31 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is the vertical direction (vertical direction).

  In addition, the arrangement | positioning pattern, arrangement | positioning direction, etc. of the hollow fiber membrane 31 in the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 are not limited to what was mentioned above, For example, the structure by which each hollow fiber membrane 31 is arrange | positioned in a horizontal direction, a hollow fiber membrane A configuration in which portions 31 cross each other at an angle (intersection portion), a configuration in which all or a part of the hollow fiber membranes 31 are curved, and a part or all of the hollow fiber membranes 31 are wavy, spiral, spiral The structure etc. which were arrange | positioned at the shape or cyclic | annular form may be sufficient.

  Both end portions (upper end portion and lower end portion) of each hollow fiber membrane 31 are fixed to the inner surface of the rectangular tubular housing body 21 by partition walls 8 and 9, respectively (see FIG. 2). The partition walls 8 and 9 are made of a potting material such as polyurethane and silicone rubber.

  The hollow fiber membrane layer 3 is fixed (fixed) to the inner surface of the rectangular tubular housing body 21 by fixing portions 7 at both ends in the width direction (see FIG. 3). The fixing portion 7 is made of the same material (potting material) as the partition walls 8 and 9 or other adhesive.

  A first chamber 221 is defined by the first header 22 and the partition wall 8. The first chamber 221 is separated from the gas inflow chamber 261 on the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 side by the partition portion 222 provided at the boundary between the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42. It is divided into a small space 223 on the thread membrane layer 42 side. The upper end opening of each hollow fiber membrane 31 opens to and communicates with the gas inflow chamber 261.

  On the other hand, a second chamber 231 is defined by the second header 23 and the partition wall 9. The second chamber 231 is separated from the gas outflow chamber 271 on the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 side by the partition 232 provided at the boundary between the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42. It is divided into a small space 233 on the thread membrane layer 42 side. The lower end opening of each hollow fiber membrane 31 opens to and communicates with the gas outflow chamber 271 (see FIG. 4).

  The lumen of each hollow fiber membrane 31 constitutes a gas flow path 32 through which gas flows. The gas inflow port 26 and the gas inflow chamber 261 constitute a gas inflow portion located upstream of the gas flow path 32, and the gas outflow port 27 and the gas outflow chamber 271 constitute a gas located downstream of the gas flow path 32. An outflow section is constructed.

  The hollow fiber membrane layer 3 is filled in the rectangular tube-shaped housing main body 21 with almost no gap, so that the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Thereby, the high filling efficiency of the hollow fiber membrane 31 is obtained with respect to the rectangular tubular housing body 21 having the same shape (less dead space), which contributes to the miniaturization and high performance of the artificial lung portion 1A.

  Each hollow fiber membrane 31 between the partition wall 8 and the partition wall 9 in the housing 2 is exposed, and the outside of each hollow fiber membrane 31 (the same applies to the hollow fiber membrane 421), that is, a gap between the hollow fiber membranes 31. In addition, a blood flow path 33 through which blood flows from the left side to the right side in FIG. 2 is formed.

  The upstream side of the blood flow path 33 (the upstream side of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3), that is, the connecting portion between the rectangular tubular housing body 21 and the heat exchanger housing 5, as the blood inflow portion, A band-like or slit-like blood inflow side opening (blood inflow side space) 24 extending in a direction substantially parallel to the arrangement direction of the thread film 31 is formed. The interior of the housing 2 communicates with the interior of the heat exchanger housing 5 through the blood inflow side opening 24. By setting it as such a structure, the blood transfer from the heat exchange part 1B to the oxygenator part 1A can be performed efficiently.

  Is the length (vertical length) of the blood inflow side opening 24 substantially equal to the effective length of each hollow fiber membrane 31 (the length from the lower surface of the partition wall 8 to the upper surface of the partition wall 9) (see FIG. 2)? Or slightly shorter (70% or more of the effective length) is preferable. Thereby, the blood can be efficiently transferred from the heat exchange part 1B to the artificial lung part 1A, and the gas exchange for the blood can be efficiently performed in the blood channel 33.

  Further, at least on the upstream side of the blood flow path 33 (the blood inflow side opening 24 side), the direction of blood flow is a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of each hollow fiber membrane 31. Thereby, efficient gas exchange can be performed on the blood flowing through the blood flow path 33.

  On the downstream side of the blood flow path 33 (on the downstream side of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3), a gap is formed between the filter member 41 described later and the inner surface of the rectangular tubular housing body 21, and this gap is A blood outflow side opening (blood outflow side space) 25 is formed. The blood outflow side opening 25 and the blood outflow port 28 communicating with the blood outflow side opening 25 constitute a blood outflow part. Since the blood outflow part has the blood outflow side opening 25, a space for the blood that has passed through the filter member 41 to flow toward the blood outflow port 28 is secured, and the blood can be smoothly discharged.

  Between the blood inflow side opening 24 and the blood outflow side opening 25, the hollow fiber membrane layer 3, the filter member 41, the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42, and the blood flow path 33 are present.

  As the hollow fiber membrane 31, for example, a porous gas exchange membrane is used. The porous hollow fiber membrane has an inner diameter of about 100 to 1000 μm, a thickness of about 5 to 200 μm, preferably about 10 to 100 μm, a porosity of about 20 to 80%, preferably about 30 to 60%, The thing with a hole diameter of about 0.01-5 micrometers, Preferably about 0.01-1 micrometer can be used.

  Moreover, as a constituent material of the hollow fiber membrane 31, for example, a hydrophobic polymer material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polysulfone, polyacrylonitrile, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polymethylpentene is used. Polyolefin resins are preferred, polypropylene is more preferred, and those having fine pores formed in the wall by a stretching method or a solid-liquid phase separation method are more preferred.

  The length (effective length) of each hollow fiber membrane 31 in the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 30 to 150 mm, and more preferably about 50 to 100 mm.

  The thickness of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 (the length in the lateral direction in FIG. 2) is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 10 to 100 mm, and more preferably about 20 to 80 mm.

  The width of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 (length in the longitudinal direction in FIG. 3) is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 10 to 100 mm, and more preferably about 20 to 80 mm.

  As described above, on the downstream side (blood outflow portion side) of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3, the bubble removing means has a function of capturing bubbles in the blood and discharging the trapped bubbles out of the blood flow path. 4 is installed. The bubble removing means 4 includes a filter member 41 and an exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 installed on the upstream side of the filter member 41. The filter member 41 has a function of capturing bubbles present in the blood flowing through the blood flow path 33, and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 transmits gas constituting the bubbles captured by the filter member 41. A number of exhaust hollow fiber membranes 421 (hereinafter simply referred to as “hollow fiber membranes 421”) having a function of discharging are integrated. Hereinafter, the gas constituting the bubbles captured by the filter member 41 is referred to as “bubble forming gas”.

  The filter member 41 is configured by a flat sheet-like member (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “sheet”) having a substantially rectangular shape, and its edges (four sides) are fixed by the partition walls 8 and 9 and the fixing portions 7. Thus, the housing 2 is fixed.

  One side of the filter member 41 is provided in contact with the downstream surface (blood outflow portion side) of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 and covers almost the entire surface. By providing the filter member 41 in this way, the effective area of the filter member 41 can be increased, and the ability to capture air bubbles can be sufficiently exhibited. Further, the increase in the effective area of the filter member 41 prevents the blood flow as a whole from being obstructed even if a part of the filter member 41 is clogged (for example, adhesion of blood clots or the like). (Suppressed).

  Examples of the form of the filter member 41 include a mesh-like (net-like), a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, or a combination of these. Among these, a mesh-like (net-like) is preferable, In particular, a screen filter is preferable. Thereby, while being able to capture | acquire a bubble more reliably, the blood can pass easily.

  In the case of the filter member 41 having a mesh shape, the mesh opening is not particularly limited, but is usually preferably 80 μm or less, more preferably about 15 to 60 μm, and further preferably 20 to 45 μm. preferable. As a result, relatively fine bubbles can be captured without increasing the blood passage resistance, and the bubble capturing efficiency (removability) is high.

  Examples of the constituent material of the filter member 41 include polyolefins such as polyamide, polyethylene, and polypropylene, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, nylon, cellulose, polyurethane, and aramid fibers. In particular, it is preferable to use polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, or polyurethane as a constituent material of the filter member 41 in that it is excellent in antithrombogenicity and hardly clogs.

  The filter member 41 preferably has hydrophilicity. That is, it is preferable that the filter member 41 is made of a material having hydrophilicity or is subjected to hydrophilic treatment (for example, plasma treatment). This not only facilitates the removal of air bubbles during priming of the artificial lung 1, but also makes it difficult for the air bubbles to pass when blood mixed with air bubbles passes through. It is possible to further improve and prevent the outflow of bubbles from the blood outflow port 28 more reliably.

  As such a filter member 41, one sheet-like (particularly mesh like a screen filter) may be used, or two or more of them may be used. When two or more sheets are used in an overlapping manner, it is preferable to use a combination of sheets that differ in at least one of conditions such as form, constituent material, mesh opening, flat / non-flat, and planar shape. This is because it is advantageous to give the filter member 41 various functions (composite) or to further improve the bubble removing ability. For example, when two meshes having different openings are used as the filter member 41 (a mesh having a large opening is disposed on the upstream side), relatively large bubbles are first captured by the mesh having a large opening, Fine bubbles that have passed through the mesh can be captured with a mesh having a small mesh opening, and the ability to remove bubbles can be improved without increasing the passage resistance of blood.

  A gap, that is, a blood outflow side opening 25 is formed between the filter member 41 and the housing 2 (see FIGS. 2 to 4). Thereby, the filter member 41 is suppressed from coming into contact with (in close contact with) the inner surface of the housing 2, and the blood that has passed through the filter member 41 easily flows down in the blood outflow side opening 25, toward the blood outflow port 28. It can flow smoothly.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the planar shape of the filter member 41 is rectangular (or square). However, the planar shape of the filter member 41 is not limited to this, and for example, a trapezoid, a parallelogram, an ellipse, or an oval. The shape is not particularly limited.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the filter member 41 is formed of a flat sheet. However, the filter member 41 is not limited to this, and is not flat. For example, the filter member 41 has a curved shape in whole or in part, a wavy shape, and a bellows shape. It may be a modified one.

  By installing the filter member 41 configured as described above, even if bubbles exist in the blood flowing through the blood flow path 33, the bubbles can be captured. It can be prevented from flowing out.

  Air bubbles trapped by the filter member 41 are removed from the blood flow path 33 by the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 (located between the filter member 41 and the hollow fiber membrane layer 3) located upstream of the filter member 41. Removed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, most of the hollow fiber membrane 421 constituting the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 is disposed substantially parallel to the hollow fiber membrane 31 constituting the hollow fiber membrane layer 3. In addition, both end portions (upper end portion and lower end portion) of each hollow fiber membrane 421 are fixed to the inner surface of the rectangular tubular housing body 21 by the partition walls 8 and 9 in the same manner as each hollow fiber membrane 31 ( (See FIG. 2).

  Thereby, the both ends of each hollow fiber membrane 421 and each hollow fiber membrane 31 can be collectively fixed by the partition walls 8 and 9, respectively. That is, the number of manufacturing steps for manufacturing the artificial lung 1 can be suppressed. Further, each hollow fiber membrane 421 can be filled into the rectangular tubular housing body 21 with almost no gap, that is, high filling efficiency of the hollow fiber membrane 421 can be obtained with respect to the rectangular tubular housing body 21 (dead space). Less). Therefore, it contributes to miniaturization and high performance of the artificial lung part 1A.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 is fixed (fixed) to the inner surface of the rectangular tubular housing body 21 by fixing portions 7 at both ends in the width direction.

  The lumen of each hollow fiber membrane 421 constitutes a gas flow path 422 through which the bubble-constituting gas that flows in through a large number of pores formed in the wall portion of the hollow fiber membrane 421 flows.

  The upper end opening of each gas flow path 422 (each hollow fiber membrane 421) is open to and communicates with the small space 223. Thereby, the small space 223 can function as a bubble storage unit that temporarily stores the bubble constituent gas that has risen through the gas flow paths 422.

  Moreover, the lower end opening of each gas flow path 422 is open | released and connected to the small space 233 (refer FIG. 4). The small space 233 communicates with the exhaust port 29.

  With such a configuration, the bubble constituent gas that has flowed out from the lower end opening of each gas flow path 422 passes through the small space 233 and further passes through the exhaust port 29 to be reliably exhausted from the artificial lung 1 (housing 2). The Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent bubbles in the blood passing through the blood flow path 33 from flowing out from the blood outflow portion. It can be said that the exhaust port 29 functions as a part of the bubble removing means 4.

  The hollow fiber membrane 421 constituting the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 and the hollow fiber membrane 31 constituting the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 may be the same or different. .

  When each hollow fiber membrane 421 and each hollow fiber membrane 31 are different, it is preferable that at least one of the constituent materials, characteristics, and arrangement conditions is different.

  For example, the thickness (length in the lateral direction in FIG. 2) of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 can be about 10 to 50 mm.

  Moreover, the width | variety (length of the vertical direction in FIG. 3) of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 can be about 10-80 mm.

  The arrangement pattern and arrangement direction of the hollow fiber membranes 421 in the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 include, for example, a configuration in which the hollow fiber membranes 421 are arranged in a horizontal direction, and the hollow fiber membranes 421 are oblique to each other. A configuration having intersecting portions (intersection portions), a configuration in which all or a part of the hollow fiber membranes 421 are curved and arranged, or a part or all of the hollow fiber membranes 421 are arranged in a wave shape, a spiral shape, a spiral shape or an annular shape The structure etc. which were made are mentioned.

  Thus, the following effects are produced by various conditions. That is, first of all, gas is reliably exchanged with respect to blood in the hollow fiber membrane layer 3, and air bubbles in the blood subjected to the gas exchange are surely discharged through the hollow fiber membrane layer 42 for exhaust. Second, various conditions suitable for gas exchange can be selected for the hollow fiber membrane layer 3, and various conditions suitable for exhaust can be selected for the hollow fiber membrane layer 42 for exhaust. Therefore, high performance can be exhibited for both gas exchange and exhaust. Thirdly, each of the structures having two performances of gas exchange and exhaust can be accommodated in one housing 2 without waste, and thus the interval (filling amount) of the blood flow path 33 is kept low. be able to.

  The filter member 41 is not limited to a configuration provided so as to cover substantially the entire downstream surface of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42. For example, the downstream surface of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 is provided. It may be configured such that a part of the cover is covered and the remaining part is installed through a gap. In this case, the gap functions as a bubble storage part.

  The artificial lung 1 is used in the posture shown in FIG. In this case, the blood outflow port 28 is provided at a position vertically below when the artificial lung 1 is used. That is, the lumen of the blood outflow port 28 communicates with the lower part of the blood outflow side opening 25, and the blood that passes through the filter member 41 and enters the blood outflow side opening 25 is contained in the blood outflow side opening 25. Flows downward and flows out of the housing 2 through the blood outflow port 28. By providing the blood outflow port 28 at such a position, air bubbles (particularly fine air bubbles) that could not be removed by the air bubble removing means 4 pass through the filter member 41 and flow into the blood outflow side opening 25. Even if this is done, it is prevented, suppressed or delayed from reaching a lower part of the blood outflow side opening 25 by, for example, part of the surface rising, so that bubbles (fine bubbles) discharged from the blood outflow port 28 The amount can be minimized.

  Next, the heat exchange part (heat exchanger) 1B will be described. The heat exchanger 1 </ b> B has a heat exchanger housing 5. The heat exchanger housing 5 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and its upper end and lower end are closed. A blood chamber 50 is formed in the heat exchanger housing 5. A tubular heat medium inflow port 52 and a heat medium outflow port 53 project from the lower end (lower surface) of the heat exchanger housing 5. Further, a tubular blood inlet port 51 protrudes from the lower portion of the heat exchanger housing 5 on the left side in FIG. The lumen of the blood inflow port 51 communicates with the blood chamber 50.

  Inside the heat exchanger housing 5, a heat exchange body 54 whose overall shape is cylindrical, and a cylindrical heat medium chamber forming member (cylindrical wall) 55 disposed along the inner periphery of the heat exchange body 54, A partition wall 56 that divides the inner space of the heat medium chamber forming member 55 into an inflow side heat medium chamber 57 and an outflow side heat medium chamber 58 is provided. The heat medium chamber forming member 55 has a function of forming a heat medium chamber in which the heat medium is temporarily stored inside the heat exchanger 54 and a function of regulating deformation of the cylindrical heat exchanger. .

  The heat medium chamber forming member 55 and the partition wall 56 are fixed to the heat exchanger housing 5 by a method such as fusion or bonding with an adhesive. The heat medium chamber forming member 55 and the partition wall 56 may be separate members or integrally formed.

  Further, the heat medium chamber forming member 55 is formed with strip-shaped openings 59a and 59b extending in the vertical direction penetrating the wall portion. The opening 59a and the opening 59b are disposed at positions facing each other through the partition wall 56 (see FIG. 3). The opening 59 a communicates with the inflow side heat medium chamber 57, and the opening 59 b communicates with the outflow side heat medium chamber 58.

  As the heat exchanger 54, a so-called bellows type heat exchanger (bellows tube) as shown in FIG. 2 can be used. The bellows-type heat exchange element 54 includes a bellows forming portion having a large number of hollow annular protrusions formed substantially parallel to the side surface of the central portion in the axial direction, and is formed at both ends (upper and lower ends) of the bellows type heat exchanger 54. A substantially equal cylindrical portion. The heat exchanger 54 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel or aluminum, or a resin material such as polyethylene or polycarbonate. A metal material such as stainless steel or aluminum is preferable in terms of strength and heat exchange efficiency. In particular, it is preferable that the heat exchanger 54 is made of a metal bellows tube having a wave shape in which a large number of irregularities substantially orthogonal to the axial direction (center axis) of the heat exchanger 54 are repeated.

  Examples of the constituent material of the heat exchanger housing 5, the heat medium chamber forming member 55, and the partition wall 56 include polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, ester resins (for example, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate), and styrene. Examples thereof include resins (for example, polystyrene, MS resin, MBS resin), resin materials such as polycarbonate, various ceramic materials, and metal materials.

  Hereinafter, the flow of the heat medium in the heat exchange unit 1B of the artificial lung 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The heat medium flowing in from the heat medium inflow port 52 first enters the inflow side heat medium chamber 57, flows into the outer peripheral side of the heat medium chamber forming member 55 through the opening 59 a, and almost the entire outer periphery of the heat medium chamber forming member 55. It spreads around the circumference and enters a large number of concave portions (inside the hollow annular projection) of the bellows of the heat exchanger 54. As a result, the heat exchanger 54 in contact with the heat medium is heated or cooled. Then, heat exchange (heating or cooling) is performed with the blood flowing on the outer peripheral side of the heat exchanger 54.

  The heat medium used for heating or cooling the heat exchanger 54 enters the outflow side heat medium chamber 58 through the opening 59 b and is discharged from the heat medium outflow port 53.

  Note that, unlike the illustrated embodiment, in the present invention, the heat exchanging portion 1B may be provided on the downstream side of the artificial lung portion 1A. further. In the present invention, the heat exchange unit 1B may not exist.

  Next, the flow of blood in the oxygenator 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the oxygenator 1, blood flowing from the blood inflow port 51 flows between the blood chamber 50, that is, between the inner peripheral surface of the heat exchanger housing 5 and the heat exchanger 54. Heat exchange (heating or cooling) is performed in contact with the outer surface of the protrusion. The blood thus heat-exchanged gathers on the downstream side of the blood chamber 50 and flows into the housing 2 of the artificial lung portion 1A through the blood inflow side opening 24.

  The blood that has passed through the blood inflow side opening 24 flows in the blood flow path 33 in the downstream direction. On the other hand, the gas (gas containing oxygen) supplied from the gas inflow port 26 is distributed from the gas inflow chamber 261 to the gas flow paths 32 that are the lumens of the hollow fiber membranes 31, and flows through the gas flow paths 32. Thereafter, the gas is accumulated in the gas outflow chamber 271 and discharged from the gas outflow port 27. The blood flowing through the blood flow path 33 contacts the surface of each hollow fiber membrane 31, and gas exchange (oxygenation, decarbonation gas) is performed with the gas flowing through the gas flow path 32.

  When bubbles are mixed in the blood that has undergone gas exchange, the bubbles are captured by the filter member 41 and hardly flow out to the downstream side of the filter member 41. Bubbles captured by the filter member 41 (bubble constituent gas) pass through a large number of pores in the wall of each hollow fiber membrane 421 of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42 adjacent to the upstream side of the filter member 41, and It enters the lumen (gas flow path 422) of the hollow fiber membrane 31. The bubble constituent gas that has entered the lumen of the hollow fiber membrane 31 is discharged from the exhaust port 29 through the small space 233.

  The blood from which gas has been exchanged as described above and from which bubbles have been removed (blood that has passed through the filter member 41) flows into the blood outflow side opening 25, and downwards in the blood outflow side opening 25. Flows out of the blood outlet port 28.

  In the artificial lung 1 of the present embodiment, a surface that comes into contact with blood (for example, the inner surface of the housing 2, the inner surface of the heat exchanger housing 5, the surface of the heat medium chamber forming member 55, the surface of the partition wall 56, the fixing portion 7, the partition wall) The surfaces facing the blood flow paths 33 of 8 and 9 are preferably antithrombogenic surfaces. The antithrombogenic surface can be formed by coating the surface with an antithrombogenic material and further fixing. Examples of the antithrombotic material include heparin, urokinase, HEMA-St-HEMA copolymer, and poly-HEMA.

  In the artificial lung 1, the flow rate of blood flowing from the blood inflow port 51 is not particularly limited because it varies depending on the patient's physique and surgical method (surgical method). About 2.0 L / min is preferable, about 2.0 to 5.0 L / min is preferable for middle-aged people, and about 3.0 to 7.0 L / min is preferable for adults.

  In the oxygenator 1, the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas inflow port 26 is not particularly limited because it varies depending on the patient's physique and technique, but generally 0.05 to 4.0 L / in for infants to children. For example, about 1.0 to 10.0 L / min is preferable for middle-aged persons, and about 1.5 to 14.0 L / min is preferable for adults.

  Moreover, since the oxygen concentration in the gas supplied from the gas inflow port 26 varies depending on the metabolic amount of oxygen / carbon dioxide gas of the patient during the operation, it is not particularly limited, but can be 40 to 100%.

  Further, the maximum continuous operation time of the oxygenator 1 is not particularly limited because it varies depending on the patient's condition and surgical technique, but can generally be about 2 to 6 hours. In addition, the maximum continuous operation time of the oxygenator 1 may rarely be as long as about 10 hours.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the oxygenator of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a diagram (left side view) of the oxygenator shown in FIG. 5 viewed from the arrow B side, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 5, and FIG. 10 is an upper right side in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of a thread membrane layer, a filter member, and a hollow fiber membrane layer for exhaust). 5, 7, and 8 are referred to as “left” or “left”, and the right side is referred to as “right” or “right”. 5 to 10, the inside of the oxygenator will be described as “blood inflow side” or “upstream side”, and the outside will be described as “blood outflow side” or “downstream side”.
Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the oxygenator according to the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings. However, the difference from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the overall shape of the oxygenator is different.
The oxygenator 10 of the illustrated embodiment has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole (outer shape). The artificial lung 10 is provided on the inner side, provided on the outer peripheral side of the heat exchanging part (heat exchanger) 10B having substantially the same configuration as the heat exchanging part 1B of the first embodiment, and the blood exchanging part 10B. This is an oxygenator with a heat exchanger and an oxygenator 10A that performs gas exchange.

  The oxygenator 1 has a housing 2A, and an oxygenator 10A and a heat exchanger 10B are accommodated in the housing 2A. Moreover, the heat exchange part 10B is further accommodated in the heat exchanger housing 5A in the housing 2A. With this heat exchanger housing 5A, both end portions of the heat exchanging portion 10B are fixed to the housing 2A, respectively.

  The housing 2A includes a cylindrical housing body (hereinafter referred to as “cylindrical housing body”) 21A, a dish-shaped first header (upper lid body) 22A for sealing the left end opening of the cylindrical housing body 21A, A dish-shaped second header (lower lid) 23A for sealing the right end opening of the cylindrical housing main body 21A is formed.

  The cylindrical housing main body 21A, the first header 22A, and the second header 23A are, for example, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, ester resins (for example, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate), and styrene resins. (For example, polystyrene, MS resin, MBS resin), resin materials such as polycarbonate, various ceramic materials, metal materials, and the like. The first header 22A and the second header 23A are liquid-tightly fixed to the cylindrical housing body 21A by a method such as fusion or bonding with an adhesive.

  A tubular blood outlet port 28 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical housing body 21A. The blood outflow port 28 protrudes in a substantially tangential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical housing body 21A (see FIG. 4).

  A tubular blood inflow port 201 and a gas outflow port 27 are formed to protrude from the first header 22A. The blood inflow port 201 is formed on the end face of the first header 22A so that the central axis thereof is eccentric with respect to the center of the first header 22A. The gas outflow port 27 is formed on the outer periphery of the first header 22A so that the center axis thereof intersects the center of the first header 22A (see FIG. 6).

  A tubular gas inflow port 26, an exhaust port (exhaust port) 29, a heat medium inflow port 202, and a heat medium outflow port 203 are formed in the second header 23A so as to protrude. The gas inflow port 26 and the exhaust port 29 are each formed at the edge of the end face of the second header 23A. The heat medium inflow port 202 and the heat medium outflow port 203 are each formed at substantially the center of the end face of the second header 23A. The center lines of the heat medium inflow port 202 and the heat medium outflow port 203 are slightly inclined with respect to the center line of the second header 23A.

  In the present invention, the entire shape of the housing 2A does not necessarily have a complete columnar shape, and may be, for example, a shape in which a part is missing or a shape in which a deformed part is added.

  As shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, an oxygenator 10 </ b> A having a cylindrical shape along the inner peripheral surface is accommodated in the housing 2 </ b> A. The artificial lung portion 10A includes a cylindrical hollow fiber membrane layer 3A, a filter member 41A as an air bubble removing means 4A provided on the outer peripheral side (blood outflow portion side) of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A, and an exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer. 42A. These layers and members are arranged (laminated) in the order of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A, the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A, and the filter member 41A from the blood inflow side.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the hollow fiber membrane layer 3 </ b> A is obtained by integrating a number of hollow fiber membranes 31 having a gas exchange function. Most of the hollow fiber membranes 31 constituting the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A are arranged substantially parallel to the central axis of the housing 2A.

  The arrangement pattern, the arrangement direction, and the like of the hollow fiber membrane 31 in the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A are not limited to those described above. For example, each hollow fiber membrane 31 is in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the housing 2A. Arranged configuration, a configuration having a portion (intersection) where the hollow fiber membranes 31 obliquely intersect each other, a configuration in which all or part of the hollow fiber membranes 31 are curved, and all or part of the hollow fiber membranes The structure etc. which 31 was arrange | positioned by a wave shape, spiral shape, spiral shape, or cyclic | annular form may be sufficient.

  Both end portions (left end portion and right end portion) of each hollow fiber membrane 31 are fixed to the inner surface of the cylindrical housing body 21A by partition walls 8 and 9, respectively (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

  Further, the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A is filled between the cylindrical housing main body 21A and the heat exchanging portion 10B with almost no gap, so that the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole. There is no. Thereby, the high filling efficiency of the hollow fiber membrane 31 is obtained with respect to the cylindrical housing body 21A having the same shape (the dead space is small), which contributes to the miniaturization and high performance of the oxygenator 10A.

  Each hollow fiber membrane 31 between the partition wall 8 and the partition wall 9 in the housing 2A is exposed, and the outside of each hollow fiber membrane 31 (the same applies to the hollow fiber membrane 421 of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A), that is, A blood flow path 33 in which blood flows from the left side to the right side in FIG. 2 is formed in the gap between the hollow fiber membranes 31.

  As the blood inflow part of blood flowing from the blood inflow port 201 between the upstream side of the blood channel 33 (the upstream side of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A), that is, between the artificial lung part 10A and the heat exchange part 10B. A cylindrical blood inlet side opening (blood inlet side space) 24A is formed.

  The blood that has flowed into the blood inflow side opening 24A flows along the circumferential direction and the longitudinal direction of the blood inflow side opening 24A, and thus reaches the entire blood inflow side opening 24A. Thereby, the blood can be efficiently transferred from the heat exchange unit 10B to the oxygenator 10A.

  On the downstream side of the blood flow path 33 (on the downstream side of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A), a cylindrical gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the filter member 41A described later and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical housing body 21A. The gap is formed to form a blood outflow side opening (blood outflow side space) 25A. The blood outflow portion is configured by the blood outflow side opening 25A and the blood outflow port 28 communicating with the blood outflow side opening 25A. Since the blood outflow part has the blood outflow side opening 25A, a space through which the blood that has passed through the filter member 41A flows toward the blood outflow port 28 is secured, and the blood can be smoothly discharged.

  Between the blood inflow side opening 24A and the blood outflow side opening 25A, the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A, the filter member 41A, the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A, and the blood flow path 33 are present.

  The thickness (length in the radial direction in FIG. 9) of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 2 to 100 mm, and more preferably about 3 to 30 mm.

  As described above, on the downstream side (blood outflow portion side) of the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A, the bubble removing means has a function of trapping bubbles in the blood and discharging the trapped bubbles out of the blood channel. 4A is installed. The bubble removing means 4A includes a filter member 41A and an exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A installed on the upstream side of the filter member 41A.

  The filter member 41A is configured by a substantially rectangular sheet-like member (hereinafter also simply referred to as “sheet”), and is formed by winding the sheet into a columnar shape. The filter member 41A is fixed to the housing 2A by fixing both ends thereof with partition walls 8 and 9, respectively (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

  The filter member 41A is provided so that its inner peripheral surface is in contact with the downstream surface (blood outflow portion side) of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A and covers almost the entire surface. By providing the filter member 41A in this manner, the effective area of the filter member 41A can be increased, and the ability to capture air bubbles can be sufficiently exhibited. Further, since the effective area of the filter member 41A is increased, even if a part of the filter member 41A is clogged (for example, adherence of blood clumps), it is possible to prevent the blood flow from being hindered as a whole. (Suppressed).

  In addition, as a form of the filter member 41A, for example, a form similar to the filter member 41 of the first embodiment, that is, a mesh-like (net-like) form, a woven cloth, a non-woven cloth, or a combination thereof is used. be able to.

  Further, as the constituent material of the filter member 41A, for example, the same material as that of the filter member 41 of the first embodiment can be used.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the filter member 41A has a substantially constant outer diameter. However, the filter member 41A is not limited thereto. For example, the filter member 41A has a part in which a part of the outer diameter is enlarged or reduced. May be.

  By installing the filter member 41A having the above-described configuration, even if bubbles are present in the blood flowing through the blood flow path 33, the bubbles can be captured. It can be prevented from flowing out.

  Bubbles captured by the filter member 41A are removed from the blood flow path 33 by the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A located on the upstream side of the filter member 41A.

  As shown in FIG. 10, most of the hollow fiber membranes 421 constituting the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A are arranged substantially parallel to the hollow fiber membrane 31 constituting the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A. Further, both end portions (upper end portion and lower end portion) of each hollow fiber membrane 421 are fixed to the inner surface of the cylindrical housing main body 21A by the partition walls 8 and 9 as in the case of each hollow fiber membrane 31 (FIG. 7 and FIG. 8).

  The arrangement pattern, arrangement direction, and the like of the hollow fiber membrane 421 in the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A are not limited to those described above. For example, each hollow fiber membrane 421 is perpendicular to the central axis of the housing 2A. A configuration in which the hollow fiber membranes 421 are obliquely intersected (intersection), a configuration in which all or some of the hollow fiber membranes 31 are curved, and all or part of the hollow A configuration in which the thread film 421 is arranged in a wave shape, a spiral shape, a spiral shape, or an annular shape may be used.

  The thickness (length in the radial direction in FIG. 9) of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 1 to 50 mm, and more preferably about 1 to 30 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (also in FIG. 7), the first chamber 221a is defined by the first header 22A, the partition wall 8, the heat exchanger housing 5A of the heat exchange section 10B, and the heat medium chamber forming member 55. Has been. The first chamber 221a is separated from the gas outflow chamber 271 on the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A side by the partition 222 provided at the boundary between the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A. It is divided into a small space 223 on the thread membrane layer 42A side. The left end opening of each hollow fiber membrane 31 is open to and communicated with the gas outflow chamber 271.

  On the other hand, a second chamber 231a is defined by the second header 23A, the partition wall 9, the heat exchanger housing 5A of the heat exchange unit 10B, and the heat medium chamber forming member 55. The second chamber 231a is divided into a gas inflow chamber 261 on the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A side and a hollow for exhaust by a partition 232 provided at the boundary between the hollow fiber membrane layer 3A and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A. It is divided into a small space 233 on the thread membrane layer 42A side. The right end opening of each hollow fiber membrane 31 is open to and communicated with the gas inflow chamber 261 (see FIG. 10).

  The lumen of each hollow fiber membrane 31 constitutes a gas flow path 32 through which gas flows. The gas inflow port 26 and the gas inflow chamber 261 constitute a gas inflow portion located upstream of the gas flow path 32, and the gas outflow port 27 and the gas outflow chamber 271 constitute a gas located downstream of the gas flow path 32. An outflow section is constructed.

  In addition, the lumen of each hollow fiber membrane 421 constitutes a gas flow path 422 through which the bubble-constituting gas that flows in through a large number of pores formed in the wall portion of the hollow fiber membrane 421 flows.

  The left end opening of each gas flow path 422 (each hollow fiber membrane 421) is open to and communicates with the small space 223. Thereby, the small space 223 can function as a bubble storage section that temporarily stores the bubble constituent gas that has flowed out of each gas flow path 422.

  Further, the right end opening of each gas flow path 422 is open to and communicates with the small space 233 (see FIG. 10). The small space 233 communicates with the exhaust port 29.

  With such a configuration, the bubble constituent gas flowing out from the right end opening of each gas flow path 422 passes through the small space 233 and further passes through the exhaust port 29 and is reliably exhausted from the artificial lung 10 (housing 2A). The Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent bubbles in the blood passing through the blood flow path 33 from flowing out from the blood outflow portion.

  The oxygenator 10 is used in the posture shown in FIG. In this case, the blood outflow port 28 is provided at a position vertically below when the oxygenator 10 is used. That is, the lumen of the blood outflow port 28 communicates with the lower part of the blood outflow side opening 25A (see FIG. 9), and the blood passing through the filter member 41A and entering the blood outflow side opening 25A It flows toward the blood outflow port 28 along the circumferential direction and the longitudinal direction in the side opening 25A, and flows out of the housing 2A from the blood outflow port 28. By providing the blood outflow port 28 at such a position, air bubbles (particularly fine air bubbles) that could not be removed by the air bubble removing means 4A pass through the filter member 41A and flow into the blood outflow side opening 25A. Even if this occurs, a part of the airflow is prevented, suppressed or delayed from reaching the lower portion of the blood outflow side opening 25A by, for example, rising, so that the bubbles (fine bubbles) discharged from the blood outflow port 28 The amount can be minimized.

  As described above, the heat exchanging unit 10B is installed inside the artificial lung unit 10A. Since this heat exchanging part 10B has substantially the same configuration as the heat exchanging part 1B, its description is omitted.

  In addition, since the heat exchanging part 10B is installed inside the artificial lung part 10A as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, first, the oxygenator 10A and the heat exchanger 10B can be efficiently stored in one housing 2A, and the dead space is small. Therefore, efficient gas exchange is performed with the small oxygenator 10. be able to. Second, the oxygenator 10A and the heat exchanger 10B are in a state closer to that of the first embodiment, and the blood exchanged by the heat exchanger 10B can quickly flow into the oxygenator 10A. Therefore, the filling amount of blood in the blood inflow side opening 24A (blood channel 33) connecting the heat exchange unit 10B and the artificial lung unit 10A can be minimized. Thirdly, the blood heat-exchanged by the heat exchange unit 10B can quickly flow into the oxygenator 10A without being dissipated or absorbed.

  Next, the flow of blood in the oxygenator 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the oxygenator 10, the blood flowing in from the blood inflow port 201 flows between the blood chamber 50, that is, between the inner peripheral surface of the heat exchanger housing 5 </ b> A and the heat exchanger 54. Heat exchange (heating or cooling) is performed in contact with the outer surface of the protrusion. The blood thus heat-exchanged sequentially passes through the opening 59c formed in the upper part of the heat exchanger housing 5A and the blood inflow side opening 24A and flows into the housing 2A of the oxygenator 10A.

  The blood that has passed through the blood inflow side opening 24A flows in the blood flow path 33 in the downstream direction. On the other hand, the gas (gas containing oxygen) supplied from the gas inflow port 26 is distributed from the gas inflow chamber 261 to the gas flow paths 32 that are the lumens of the hollow fiber membranes 31, and flows through the gas flow paths 32. Thereafter, the gas is accumulated in the gas outflow chamber 271 and discharged from the gas outflow port 27. The blood flowing through the blood flow path 33 contacts the surface of each hollow fiber membrane 31, and gas exchange (oxygenation, decarbonation gas) is performed with the gas flowing through the gas flow path 32.

  When bubbles are mixed in the blood that has undergone gas exchange, the bubbles are captured by the filter member 41A and hardly flow out to the downstream side of the filter member 41A. Bubbles (bubble constituent gas) trapped by the filter member 41A pass through a large number of pores in the wall portion of each hollow fiber membrane 421 of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 42A adjacent to the upstream side of the filter member 41A, and It enters the lumen (gas flow path 422) of the hollow fiber membrane 31. The bubble constituent gas that has entered the lumen of the hollow fiber membrane 31 is discharged from the exhaust port 29 through the small space 233.

  The blood from which gas has been exchanged as described above and from which bubbles have been removed (blood that has passed through the filter member 41A) flows into the blood outflow side opening 25A, and the blood outflow port 28 passes through the blood outflow side opening 25A. And flow out of the blood outflow port 28.

  Although the illustrated embodiment of the oxygenator of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and each component constituting the oxygenator has an arbitrary configuration that can exhibit the same function. In addition, an arbitrary component may be added.

  For example, regarding the structure and shape of the housing and the heat exchanger housing, the formation position and the protruding direction of the gas inflow port, gas outflow port, blood outflow port, blood inflow port, heat medium inflow port and heat medium outflow port for each housing The configuration shown in FIG. Further, the posture (positional relationship of each part with respect to the vertical direction) when using the artificial lung is not limited to the state shown in the figure.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an oxygenator according to the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line (cross-sectional side view) in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional top view) of the oxygenator part in the oxygenator shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a lower right portion (a fixing portion of a hollow fiber membrane layer, a filter member, and an exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer) in FIG. 2. It is a top view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the oxygenator of this invention. It is the figure (left side view) which looked at the artificial lung shown in FIG. 5 from the arrow B side. It is CC sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the EE sectional view taken on the line in FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an upper right portion (a fixing portion of a hollow fiber membrane layer, a filter member, and an exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer) in FIG. 8.

Explanation of symbols

1, 10 oxygenator 1A, 10A oxygenator 1B, 10B heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
2, 2A Housing 21 Square tubular housing main body 21A Cylindrical housing main body 22, 22A First header 221, 221a First chamber 222 Partition 223 Small space 23, 23A Second header 231, 231a Second chamber 232 Partition 233 Small space 24, 24A Blood inflow side opening 25, 25A Blood outflow side opening 26 Gas inflow port 261 Gas inflow chamber 27 Gas outflow port 271 Gas outflow chamber 28 Blood outflow port 29 Exhaust port (exhaust port)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 Blood inflow port 202 Heat medium inflow port 203 Heat medium outflow port 3, 3A Hollow fiber membrane layer 31 Hollow fiber membrane 32 Gas flow path (luminal of hollow fiber membrane)
33 Blood channel 4, 4A Bubble removing means 41, 41A Filter member 42, 42A Exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer 421 Hollow fiber membrane (exhaust hollow fiber membrane)
422 Gas flow path 5, 5A Heat exchanger housing 50 Blood chamber 51 Blood inflow port 52 Heat medium inflow port 53 Heat medium outflow port 54 Heat exchanger 55 Heat medium chamber forming member 56 Partition wall 57 Inflow side heat medium chamber 58 Outflow side Heat medium chamber 59a opening 59b opening 59c opening 7 fixing part 8, 9 partition

Claims (7)

A housing;
A hollow fiber membrane layer in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes housed in the housing and having a gas exchange function are integrated;
Using the lumen of each hollow fiber membrane as a gas flow path, a gas inflow portion and a gas outflow portion respectively provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the gas flow path,
With the outside of each hollow fiber membrane as a blood flow path, a blood inflow portion and a blood outflow portion provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the blood flow path ,
Wherein provided on the blood outlet side of the hollow fiber membrane layer, and a bubble removing means having a function of discharging the air bubbles trapped with trapping bubbles in the blood to the blood flow path outside,
The bubble removing means is located between the filter member having a function of trapping bubbles in blood, the hollow fiber membrane layer and the filter member, and allows the bubbles trapped by the filter member to pass through the inner cavity thereof. An exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer in which a large number of exhaust hollow fiber membranes having a function of discharging are integrated, and an exhaust port for exhausting the gas in the lumen of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane to the outside of the housing ,
The filter member is provided so as to be in contact with the surface on the blood outflow portion side of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane layer so as to cover almost all of the surface,
When air bubbles are mixed in the blood flowing in from the blood inflow portion, the air bubbles are captured by the filter member, and the inside of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane is passed through the wall portion of the exhaust hollow fiber membrane. An artificial lung configured to enter a cavity and to be discharged from the exhaust port . The artificial lung according to claim 1 , wherein a gap is formed between the filter member and the housing. Said filter member, have a hydrophilic oxygenator according to claim 1 or 2 in which forming a mesh. 4. The exhaust gas hollow fiber membrane according to claim 1, wherein each of the exhaust hollow fiber membranes functions as an exhaust gas flow path through which a gas communicating with the exhaust port passes and the gas constituting the bubbles passes. Artificial lung. The hollow fiber membrane layer has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole ,
The artificial lung according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the filter member has a substantially rectangular flat sheet shape . The hollow fiber membrane layer is substantially cylindrical as an overall shape ,
The artificial lung according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the filter member is formed by winding a flat sheet into a cylindrical shape . The artificial lung according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the hollow fiber membrane and the exhaust hollow fiber membrane are arranged in parallel to each other.

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