Compact Ambulatory Extracorporeal Lung Assist System
This invention is a compact extracorporeal system designed to provide lung assistance to patients. Its most significant advantage lies in its integrated, wearable design, offering efficient gas transfer and improved biocompatibility in a small form factor, suitable for ambulatory use.
Description
The extracorporeal lung assist system features a housing that integrates a blood flow inlet, a pressurizing stator compartment, a fiber bundle compartment, and a blood flow outlet. An impeller, rotatably positioned within the pressurizing compartment, actively pumps blood into a flow channel. This channel guides the blood to a fiber bundle, which contains a plurality of hollow gas-permeable fibers. These fibers are arranged generally perpendicular to the bulk blood flow, maximizing gas exchange by allowing oxygen diffusion into the blood and removal of carbon dioxide. The unique design of the flow channel, which includes rounded corners and fits within the impeller's diameter, aims to reduce hemolysis and thrombosis. The system is designed to provide efficient gas transfer without causing significant blood damage.Applications
- Treatment for patients with severe acute respiratory failure (ARDS).- Support for chronic patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
- Assistance for patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH).
- Bridge to lung transplantation for patients on waiting lists.
- Wearable respiratory support for ambulatory patients.
Advantages
- Ambulatory and Wearable Design: The system is compact and can be worn in a holster or vest, enabling patient mobility.- Integrated Pump and Lung: Combines blood pump and lung functions into a single, highly integrated device.
- Efficient Gas Transfer: Provides a significant gas transfer rate through optimized fiber bundle design and increased mean velocity of blood flow through the fiber bundle.
- Improved Biocompatibility: Designed to minimize blood damage, including reduced hemolysis and thrombosis.
- Reduced Cumbersomeness: Less cumbersome than other ambulatory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) systems.