초록 ▼

An artificial lung has an axially extending housing which accommodates a bundle of hollow fibers retained within the housing by a pair of walls provided at the ends of the housing. The housing has blood inlet and outlet ports defining a blood chamber within the housing. Oxygen gas is passed through

An artificial lung has an axially extending housing which accommodates a bundle of hollow fibers retained within the housing by a pair of walls provided at the ends of the housing. The housing has blood inlet and outlet ports defining a blood chamber within the housing. Oxygen gas is passed through the hollow fibers and blood is passed through the blood chamber so that a gas exchange may take place through the hollow fiber walls. The artificial lung is provided with a blood reservoir chamber integral with the blood chamber and capable of being communicated with the blood chamber, so that blood which has undergone a gas exchange inside the chamber may be stored within the reservoir. A heat exchanger is disposed at a point preceding, following or intermediate the blood chamber and blood reservoir chamber, which construct a blood circuit.

대표청구항 ▼

A hollow fiber-type artificial lung, comprising: an axially extended housing; a hollow fiber bundle including a multiplicity of hollow fibers accommodated within and along the axial direction of said housing, said hollow fibers forming blood channels between outer wall surfaces of neighboring ones t

A hollow fiber-type artificial lung, comprising: an axially extended housing; a hollow fiber bundle including a multiplicity of hollow fibers accommodated within and along the axial direction of said housing, said hollow fibers forming blood channels between outer wall surfaces of neighboring ones thereof, and being arranged within said housing in such a manner that neighboring blood channels are brought into substantial communication; first and second walls liquid-tightly supporting said hollow fibers at both end portions thereof within said housing; said first and second walls, the inner wall of said housing and the outer wall surfaces of said hollow fibers defining a blood chamber; blood inlet means provided in a side wall of said housing in the vicinity of said first wall and having an opening communicating with said blood chamber; the inner surface of said housing in the vicinity of said blood inlet means being flared outwardly relative to the inner surface of the intermediate portion of the housing, for forming a first annular blood flow passage in said blood chamber at a portion adjacent to said first wall between the outer periphery of said hollow fiber bundle and the inner surface of the flared housing, wherein the flared inner surface of said housing in the vicinity of said blood inlet means is off-centered with respect to said hollow fiber bundle to increase the distance between said blood inlet means and said hollow fiber bundle and thus enlarge the flow area of said first blood flow passage facing said blood inlet means while gradually diminishing the flow area of said first blood flow passage with increasing distance from said blood inlet means, so that the amount of blood entering said first blood flow passage from said inlet means is substantially uniform circumferentially of said hollow fiber bundle and the flow rate of blood traveling axially of the housing within said blood chamber tends to be made uniform; blood outlet means provided in a side wall of said housing in the vicinity of said second wall and having an opening communicating with said blood chamber; a heat exchanger provided integral with a blood flow passage, which is formed by said blood chamber, at least at an upstream, downstream or intermediate portion of said blood flow passage; gas inlet means provided on an outer side of at least one of said first and second walls; and a blood reservoir provided on said housing on the side of said blood outlet means and formed integrally with said blood chamber for communicating directly with said blood chamber; wherein said blood reservoir is defined in part by the outer periphery of a portion of said housing which extends along the axial direction of said blood chamber so that sufficient gas-exchange area with said blood chamber is afforded with a desired reserve volume of said blood reservoir.