초록 ▼

An oxygenator which helps avoid bubbles in the blood from being discharged through the blood outlet port of the oxygenator includes a housing, a hollow fiber membrane bundle in the housing and formed by a multiplicity of hollow fiber membranes serving for gas exchange, gas-inlet and gas-outlet ports

An oxygenator which helps avoid bubbles in the blood from being discharged through the blood outlet port of the oxygenator includes a housing, a hollow fiber membrane bundle in the housing and formed by a multiplicity of hollow fiber membranes serving for gas exchange, gas-inlet and gas-outlet ports communicating with gas passages of the hollow fiber membranes, and a blood-inlet and blood-outlet ports. A filter member is provided on a side closer to the blood outlet port of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and serves to catch bubbles in blood. The blood outlet port projects from the housing and a passage enlargement is provided in a vicinity of the end of the blood outlet port closer to the housing and having an increased passage cross-sectional area. The blood passed the filter member is allowed to reach the blood outlet port by being decelerated in the passage enlargement.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An oxygenator comprising: a housing having an interior; a blood inlet port in the housing through which blood is adapted to flow, the blood inlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the interior of the housing to introduce the blood into the interior of

What is claimed is: 1. An oxygenator comprising: a housing having an interior; a blood inlet port in the housing through which blood is adapted to flow, the blood inlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the interior of the housing to introduce the blood into the interior of the housing; a hollow fiber membrane bundle positioned in the interior of the housing and comprised of a multiplicity of integrated hollow fiber membranes configured to subject the blood introduced into the housing to gas exchange; the hollow fiber membranes each possessing a lumen extending between opposite ends of the hollow fiber membrane forming a gas passage for passage of gas; a gas inlet port in the housing through which gas is adapted to flow, the gas inlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the gas passages of the hollow fiber membranes to introduce the gas into the gas passages; a gas outlet port in the housing through which gas is adapted to flow, the gas outlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the gas passages of the hollow fiber membranes to discharge the gas in the gas passages; a blood outlet port in the housing through which blood which has been subjected to the gas exchange is adapted to flow, the blood outlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the interior of the housing to discharge from the housing the blood which has been subjected to the gas exchange, the blood flowing in a downstream direction through the hollow fiber membrane bundle toward the blood outlet port; a filter member positioned in the housing at a position downstream of the hollow fiber membrane bundle with respect to the direction of blood flow so that the blood flows through the hollow fiber membrane bundle and is subjected to gas exchange before passing through the filter member, the filter member being constructed to catch bubbles in the blood which has been subjected to the gas exchange; a blood passage downstream of the filter member into which flows the blood which has passed through the filter member, the blood passage being defined by a gap having a predetermined width between an outer surface of the filter member and an inner surface of the housing; and a passage enlargement between the blood passage and the blood outlet port, the passage enlargement having an enlarged width defined between the outer surface of the filter member and the inner surface of the housing, the enlarged width being greater than the predetermined width of the blood passage such that the passage enlargement provides an increased passage cross-sectional area relative to the blood passage so that blood which has passed through the filter member toward the blood outlet port is decelerated in the passage enlargement. 2. An oxygenator according to claim 1, wherein the blood passage possesses a varying width. 3. An oxygenator according to claim 1, wherein the filter member is in contact with an outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and covers substantially all of the outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. 4. An oxygenator according to claim 1, wherein the filter member has hydrophilicity. 5. An oxygenator according to claim 1, wherein the filter member is in a mesh form. 6. An oxygenator according to claim 5, wherein the filter member has a mesh size of 50 μm or smaller. 7. An oxygenator according to claim 1, wherein the passage enlargement has a first enlargement and a second enlargement, the second enlargement being located downstream of the first enlargement. 8. An oxygenator according to claim 7, wherein the first enlargement is structured by a groove formed in an inner surface of the housing. 9. An oxygenator according to claim 8, wherein the first enlargement is formed substantially over an entirety of a longitudinal extent of the housing. 10. An oxygenator according to claim 1, wherein the gas outlet port is a first gas outlet port, and further comprising a bubble removal means including a gas outlet hollow fiber membrane layer positioned between the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the filter member, the gas outlet hollow fiber membrane layer comprising a multiplicity of hollow fiber membranes each possessing a lumen, the lumens of the hollow fiber membranes of the gas outlet hollow fiber membrane layer communicating with a second gas outlet port which opens to outside the housing. 11. An oxygenator according to claim 10, wherein bubbles caught by the filter member enter the lumens of the hollow fiber membranes and are discharged at the second gas outlet port. 12. An oxygenator comprising: a housing having an interior; a blood inlet port in the housing through which blood is adapted to flow, the blood inlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the interior of the housing to introduce the blood into the interior of the housing; a hollow fiber membrane bundle positioned in the interior of the housing and comprised of a multiplicity of integrated hollow fiber membranes configured to subject the blood introduced into the housing to gas exchange as the blood flows in a downstream direction from an upstream side of the hollow fiber membrane bundle to a downstream side of the hollow fiber membrane bundle; the hollow fiber membranes each possessing a lumen extending between opposite ends of the hollow fiber membrane forming a gas passage for passage of gas; a gas inlet port in the housing through which gas is adapted to flow, the gas inlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the gas passages of the hollow fiber membranes to introduce the gas into the gas passages; a gas outlet port in the housing through which gas is adapted to flow, the gas outlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the gas passages of the hollow fiber membranes to discharge the gas in the gas passages; a blood outlet port in the housing positioned downstream of the downstream side of the hollow fiber membrane bundle through which blood which has been subjected to the gas exchange is adapted to flow, the blood outlet port opening to outside the housing and communicating with the interior of the housing to discharge from the housing the blood which has been subjected to the gas exchange; a filter member located in the housing between the downstream side of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the blood outlet port so that the blood flows through the hollow fiber membrane bundle and is subjected to gas exchange before passing through the filter member, the filter member being adapted to catch bubbles in the blood which has passed though the hollow fiber membrane bundle and been subjected to the gas exchange; and a passage enlargement in the housing downstream of the filter member and upstream of the blood outlet port, the blood outlet opening into the passage enlargement, the passage enlargement having an enlarged width defined between an outer surface of the filter member and an inner surface of the housing such that the passage enlargement provides an increased passage cross-sectional area relative to the interior of the housing immediately upstream of the passage enlargement so that blood which has passed through the filter member flowing toward the blood outlet port is decelerated in the passage enlargement. 13. An oxygenator according to claim 12, wherein in the interior of the housing immediately upstream of the passage enlargement, a gap exists between the filter member and an inner surface of the housing, said gap having a predetermined width between the outer surface of the filter member and the inner surface of the housing, wherein the enlarged width of the passage enlargement is greater than the predetermined width of said gap. 14. An oxygenator according to claim 13, wherein the gap possesses a varying width. 15. An oxygenator according to claim 12, wherein the filter member is in contact with an outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and covers substantially all of the outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. 16. An oxygenator according to claim 12, wherein the filter member has hydrophilicity. 17. An oxygenator according to claim 12, wherein the filter member is in a mesh form. 18. An oxygenator according to claim 17, wherein the filter member has a mesh size of 50 μm or smaller. 19. An oxygenator according to claim 12 wherein the passage enlargement has a first enlargement and a second enlargement, the second enlargement being located downstream of the first enlargement. 20. An oxygenator according to claim 19, wherein the first enlargement is structured by a groove formed in an inner surface of the housing. 21. An oxygenator according to claim 20, wherein the first enlargement is formed substantially over an entirety of a longitudinal extent of the housing. 22. An oxygenator according to claim 12, wherein the gas outlet port is a first gas outlet port, and further comprising a bubble removal means including a gas outlet hollow fiber membrane layer positioned between the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the filter member, the gas outlet hollow fiber membrane layer comprising a multiplicity of hollow fiber membranes each possessing a lumen, the lumens of the hollow fiber membranes of the gas outlet hollow fiber membrane layer communicating with a second gas outlet port which opens to outside the housing. 23. An oxygenator according to claim 22, wherein bubbles caught by the filter member enter the lumens of the hollow fiber membranes and are discharged at the second gas outlet port.