Adsorption-enhanced dialyzer

Abstract

This invention discloses an adsorption-enhanced dialyzer, comprising a hemodialysis chamber (1), wherein the hemodialysis chamber (1) is provided with a plurality of first hollow fiber membrane filaments (2) and a plurality of second hollow fiber membrane filaments (3), wherein the membrane flux of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments (3) is greater than that of the first hollow fiber membrane filaments (2). Applying the technical solution provided in this invention, medium and large molecular substances in patients are removed during hemodialysis by improving adsorption; simultaneously, no additional perfusion device or replacement fluid is required, reducing the burden on the patient and decreasing the volume of blood in the extracorporeal circulation, thus alleviating the cardiovascular burden; furthermore, the high-performance dialyzer's internal filtration performance effectively delays the decline in flux of the specially designed adsorption hollow fibers, enhancing the dialyzer's ability to remove medium and large molecular substances.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to an adsorption-enhanced dialyzer. Background Technology

[0002] A dialyzer is a blood purification device that removes excess water and toxins from a patient's body using convection and diffusion. While convection and diffusion can effectively remove small and medium-sized molecules, the pore structure of the dialysis membrane cannot be too large to minimize the loss of nutrients such as protein. This limits the removal of medium and large molecules, leading to their accumulation and potential complications. Current techniques for removing medium and large molecules include: 1. Hemodialysis filtration (increasing the dialyzer's flow rate to remove more medium and large molecules). 2. Hemoperfusion, removing medium and large molecules through adsorption. 3. Combining dialysis and perfusion, integrating convection, diffusion, and adsorption, which can significantly improve the removal of medium and large molecules. 4. Using adsorbent membrane materials; however, due to the inherent characteristics of these materials, the pores on the membrane surface are relatively small, resulting in weaker convection removal capabilities and inefficient removal of small and medium-sized molecules and water from the patient's body.

[0003] However, hemodialysis requires a specialized dialyzer and a large amount of replacement fluid, and the cost of a single hemodialysis session is basically twice that of regular dialysis.

[0004] Adsorption dialyzers can increase the removal performance of medium-sized molecules, but during use, the membrane flux continuously decreases due to the large amount of adsorption of medium and large molecules, which reduces the dialyzer's ability to remove uremic toxins.

[0005] While combining hemodialysis and hemoperfusion can compensate for the weak adsorption capacity of hemodialysis, the need for additional perfusion devices will increase the financial burden on patients.

[0006] In summary, how to effectively introduce adsorption function while ensuring the convection effect of the dialyzer, and better remove medium and large molecules from the patient's body, is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide an adsorption-enhanced dialyzer that enhances the adsorption function while ensuring the convection effect of the dialyzer, thereby better removing medium and large molecules from the patient's body.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0009] An adsorption-enhanced dialyzer includes a hemodialysis chamber, wherein a plurality of first hollow fiber membrane filaments and a plurality of second hollow fiber membrane filaments are disposed within the hemodialysis chamber, wherein the membrane flux of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments is greater than that of the first hollow fiber membrane filaments.

[0010] Preferably, the material of the second hollow fiber membrane filament is sodium methacrylate-acrylonitrile copolymer, ethylene ethylene alcohol copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, or carbon nanotubes.

[0011] Preferably, all the second hollow fiber membrane filaments in the hemodialysis chamber are made of the same material.

[0012] Preferably, the average pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament is greater than the average pore size of the first hollow fiber membrane filament.

[0013] Preferably, the average pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament is 8-10 nm.

[0014] Preferably, the wall thickness of the second hollow fiber membrane filament is 0.9-2 times the wall thickness of the first hollow fiber membrane filament.

[0015] Preferably, the diameter of the second hollow fiber membrane filament is 1.5-3 times the diameter of the first hollow fiber membrane filament.

[0016] Preferably, the number of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments accounts for 10%-40% of the total number of membrane filaments in the dialyzer.

[0017] Preferably, a plurality of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments are evenly distributed within the hemodialysis chamber.

[0018] Preferably, the distribution shape of the plurality of second hollow fiber membrane filaments in the hemodialysis chamber is triangular, square, ring, rhomboid, or multi-circular.

[0019] The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer provided by this invention includes a hemodialysis chamber, in which multiple first hollow fiber membrane filaments and multiple second hollow fiber membrane filaments are disposed. The first hollow fiber membrane filaments are existing high-performance fiber membrane filaments, which have limited adsorption capacity for medium and large molecules. During use, as the adsorbed large molecules continuously increase, the membrane flux continuously decreases, and the ability to remove substances continuously declines.

[0020] A second hollow fiber membrane with adsorption function is added between the existing first hollow fiber membrane fibers. The second hollow fiber membrane is a specially designed hollow fiber membrane with adsorption function. The membrane flux of the second hollow fiber membrane is greater than that of the first hollow fiber membrane, which improves the flux of the adsorption dialyzer and has a strong adsorption capacity for medium and large molecules. At the same time, the enhanced internal filtration performance of the high-performance dialyzer can effectively alleviate the problem of flux decline of the first hollow fiber membrane, combining adsorption and convection to increase the dialyzer's ability to remove medium molecules.

[0021] By applying the technical solution provided in the embodiments of this invention, medium and large molecular substances in patients are removed by improving adsorption during hemodialysis; at the same time, no additional perfusion device or replacement fluid is required, which reduces the burden on patients and also reduces the blood volume in the extracorporeal circulation, thus reducing the cardiovascular burden on patients; in addition, the internal filtration performance of the high-performance dialyzer effectively delays the problem of flux decline of the specially designed adsorbent hollow fiber and enhances the dialyzer's ability to remove medium and large molecular substances. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an adsorption-enhanced dialyzer provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Sectional view at point AA.

[0025] The following labels are shown in the attached diagram:

[0026] Hemodialysis chamber 1, first hollow fiber membrane 2, second hollow fiber membrane 3. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The core of this invention is to provide an adsorption-enhanced dialyzer, which enhances the adsorption function while ensuring the convection effect of the dialyzer, and can better remove medium and large molecules from the patient's body.

[0028] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an adsorption-enhanced dialyzer provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Sectional view at point AA.

[0030] In one specific embodiment, the adsorption-enhanced dialyzer provided by the present invention includes a hemodialysis chamber 1, wherein a plurality of first hollow fiber membrane filaments 2 and a plurality of second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 are disposed in the hemodialysis chamber 1, and the membrane flux of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 is greater than the membrane flux of the first hollow fiber membrane filaments 2.

[0031] In the above structure, the adsorption-enhanced dialyzer includes a hemodialysis chamber 1, within which are arranged multiple first hollow fiber membrane filaments 2 and multiple second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3. The first hollow fiber membrane filaments 2 are existing high-performance fiber membrane filaments, but their adsorption capacity for medium and large molecules is limited. During use, as the adsorbed large molecules continuously increase, the membrane flux continuously decreases, and the ability to remove substances continuously declines.

[0032] A second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 with adsorption function is added to the middle of the existing first hollow fiber membrane filament 2. The second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is a specially made hollow fiber membrane filament with adsorption function. The membrane flux of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is greater than that of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2, which improves the flux of the adsorption dialyzer and has a strong adsorption capacity for medium and large molecules. At the same time, the enhanced internal filtration performance of the high-performance dialyzer can effectively alleviate the problem of flux decline of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2. By combining adsorption and convection, the dialyzer's ability to remove medium molecules is increased.

[0033] By applying the technical solution provided in the embodiments of this invention, medium and large molecular substances in patients are removed by improving adsorption during hemodialysis; at the same time, no additional perfusion device or replacement fluid is required, which reduces the burden on patients and also reduces the blood volume in the extracorporeal circulation, thus reducing the cardiovascular burden on patients; in addition, the internal filtration performance of the high-performance dialyzer effectively delays the problem of flux decline of the specially designed adsorbent hollow fiber and enhances the dialyzer's ability to remove medium and large molecular substances.

[0034] Based on the above specific embodiments, there are many ways to enhance the flux of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3. For example, using materials with better adsorption properties, the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 can be made of materials with good biocompatibility such as sodium methacrylate-acrylonitrile copolymer, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, or carbon nanotubes. Compared with the polysulfone material of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2 in the prior art, sodium methacrylate-acrylonitrile copolymer, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, and carbon nanotubes all have stronger adsorption properties, which can enhance the dialyzer's ability to remove medium and large molecules. Of course, there are many materials with strong adsorption properties, and they can be selected according to different specific situations, all of which are within the protection scope of this invention.

[0035] It should be noted that all the second hollow fiber membrane fibers 3 in the hemodialysis chamber 1 can be made of the same material, such as ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, which makes the setup simpler; all the second hollow fiber membrane fibers 3 in the hemodialysis chamber 1 can also be made of different materials, some can be the same, some can be different, or all can be different, depending on the situation, the use effect is better. In short, hollow fibers that can meet the requirements of practicality and enhanced adsorption are all within the selection range.

[0036] In another more reliable embodiment, based on any of the above embodiments, the average pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is larger than the average pore size of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2. Under the condition that other conditions remain unchanged or the adsorption performance is increased, relatively increasing the pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 can further enhance the adsorption of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3, thereby enhancing the dialyzer's ability to remove medium and large molecules.

[0037] To further optimize the above technical solution, the average pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is any value between 8-10 nm, including endpoint values, such as 8 nm, 9 nm, and 10 nm. Compared with the pore size of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2 (5-6 nm), the average pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is significantly increased, and the ability to adsorb macromolecular substances is significantly enhanced.

[0038] In another more reliable embodiment, based on any of the above embodiments, the wall thickness of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is 0.9-2 times the wall thickness of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2, including the endpoint value. For example, the wall thickness of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is 1 time the wall thickness of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2. The wall thickness of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 can be comparable to or slightly greater than the wall thickness of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2. When the wall thickness difference is not significant, the diameter of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 can be increased relatively slightly. In a hemodialysis chamber 1 with the same diameter, the number of membrane filaments can be increased to improve the ability to remove medium and large molecules.

[0039] In another more reliable embodiment, based on any of the above embodiments, the diameter of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 is 1.5-3 times the diameter of the first hollow fiber membrane filament 2. When the diameter increases significantly while the wall thickness does not change much, the pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament 3 increases relatively, thereby enhancing the dialyzer's ability to remove medium and large molecules.

[0040] In another more reliable embodiment, based on any of the above embodiments, the number of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 accounts for any value between 10% and 40% of the total number of membrane filaments in the dialyzer, including the endpoint value, such as 20%. The specific number of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 is not limited and can be set according to different usage conditions such as blood conditions. When the amount of heavy molecular substances is large, the number of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 can be increased; when the amount of heavy molecular substances is small, the number of the second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 can be decreased, all within the protection scope of this invention.

[0041] In another more reliable embodiment, based on any of the above embodiments, a plurality of second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 are evenly distributed in the hemodialysis chamber 1. At this time, the second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 can uniformly adsorb medium and large molecular substances in the hemodialysis chamber 1, ensuring uniform removal of medium and large molecular substances, more thorough removal, and maintaining the consistency of the removal range.

[0042] To further optimize the above technical solution, the distribution shape of the multiple second hollow fiber membrane filaments 3 in the hemodialysis chamber 1 can be triangular, square, ring, rhomboid, or multi-circular symmetrical patterns. The specific arrangement is not limited and can be determined according to the actual application, ensuring that the dialyzer can remove medium and large molecules more thoroughly and evenly.

[0043] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0044] The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer provided by this invention has been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of these embodiments are merely for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this invention without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this invention. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An adsorption-enhanced dialyzer, characterized in that, The hemodialysis chamber (1) includes a plurality of first hollow fiber membranes (2) and a plurality of second hollow fiber membranes (3). The membrane flux of the second hollow fiber membranes (3) is greater than that of the first hollow fiber membranes (2). The average pore size of the second hollow fiber membranes (3) is greater than that of the first hollow fiber membranes (2). The number of second hollow fiber membranes (3) accounts for 10%-40% of the total number of membranes in the dialyzer. The plurality of second hollow fiber membranes (3) are evenly distributed in the hemodialysis chamber (1).

2. The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the second hollow fiber membrane filament (3) is sodium methacrylate-acrylonitrile copolymer, ethylene ethylene alcohol copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene or carbon nanotube.

3. The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer according to claim 2, characterized in that, All the second hollow fiber membrane filaments (3) inside the hemodialysis chamber (1) are made of the same material.

4. The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The average pore size of the second hollow fiber membrane filament (3) is 8-10 nm.

5. The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wall thickness of the second hollow fiber membrane filament (3) is 0.9-2 times that of the wall thickness of the first hollow fiber membrane filament (2).

6. The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the second hollow fiber membrane filament (3) is 1.5-3 times the diameter of the first hollow fiber membrane filament (2).

7. The adsorption-enhanced dialyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distribution shape of the multiple second hollow fiber membrane filaments (3) in the hemodialysis chamber (1) is triangular, square, ring, rhomboid or multi-circular.

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