A stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Abstract

The present invention discloses a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, comprising a baffle, an oxygen flow plate frame, a blood flow plate frame, a flat membrane, and a gasket. The oxygenator is provided with an oxygen inlet, an oxygen outlet, a blood inlet, and a blood outlet. The oxygen flow plate frame has a first hollow inner cavity through which oxygen can pass, and the blood flow plate frame has a second hollow inner cavity through which blood can pass. The baffle comprises a left baffle and a right baffle. The flat membrane comprises a first flat membrane and a second flat membrane. The gasket is provided at both ends of the flat membrane. The flat membrane is divided into a surface and a bottom surface, the surface being the blood contact side, and the bottom being the gas contact side. The present invention adopts a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation using the above-mentioned structure. The stacked flat-plate oxygenator can significantly increase the membrane area of the oxygenator, increase the exchange area between blood and oxygen, and improve the oxygenation efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of flat-plate oxygenators, and in particular to a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Background Art

[0002] Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an extracorporeal life support technology, mainly used to provide continuous extracorporeal respiration and circulation for patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure. Its principle is to transport venous blood with low oxygen saturation in the patient's body to an oxygenator. Oxygen diffuses into the blood through the oxygenating membrane in the oxygenator and combines with hemoglobin. Carbon dioxide is discharged from the blood, thereby increasing the oxygen saturation of the blood and returning the blood to the patient's body, playing a partial or complete heart and lung replacement role.

[0003] In existing technology, most devices of this type are woven from hollow fiber membranes. While hollow fiber membrane oxygenators offer a large gas exchange area, their joints can easily obstruct blood flow, leading to blood coagulation and thrombosis. Furthermore, the high cost and manufacturing difficulty of the hollow fiber membranes used in oxygenators make existing oxygenators expensive, hindering the widespread adoption of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation technology. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a stackable flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, which increases the gas exchange area of the oxygenator by stacking multiple sets of flat-plate membranes, thereby improving the blood oxygenation efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a stacked flat plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, comprising a baffle, an oxygen flow plate frame, a blood flow plate frame, a flat plate membrane and a gasket;

[0006] The oxygen flow plate frame has a first hollow inner cavity through which oxygen can pass, and the blood flow plate frame has a second hollow inner cavity through which blood can pass; an oxygen inlet and an oxygen outlet are symmetrically arranged on the oxygen flow plate frame, and the oxygen inlet and the oxygen outlet are connected to the first hollow inner cavity; a blood inlet and a blood outlet are symmetrically arranged on the blood flow plate frame, and the blood inlet and the blood outlet are connected to the second hollow inner cavity.

[0007] The baffle includes a left baffle and a right baffle, and the flat membrane includes a first flat membrane and a second flat membrane. The left baffle and the right baffle are connected by n groups of stacked elements, where n≥1, and the elements are composed of the oxygen flow plate frame, the first flat membrane, the blood flow plate frame and the second flat membrane stacked in sequence.

[0008] The gaskets are provided at both ends of the flat membrane. The flat membrane is divided into a surface and a bottom surface. The surface is the blood contact side, and the bottom surface is the gas contact side.

[0009] Preferably, the baffle, the oxygen flow plate frame, the blood flow plate frame and the gasket are connected by bolts.

[0010] Preferably, a third hollow inner cavity is provided on the gasket, and a partition net is provided inside the third hollow inner cavity.

[0011] Preferably, the blood outlet and the oxygen inlet are provided at one side corner of the left baffle, and the oxygen outlet and the blood inlet are provided at the other side corner of the right baffle; the blood outlet and the blood inlet that are not connected to the first hollow inner cavity are correspondingly provided on the oxygen flow plate frame; the oxygen inlet and the oxygen outlet that are not connected to the second inner cavity are correspondingly provided on the blood flow plate frame.

[0012] Preferably, the oxygen inlet and the oxygen outlet connected to the first hollow inner cavity are centrally symmetrically arranged on the edges of both sides of the oxygen flow plate frame, and the oxygen inlet is higher than the oxygen outlet; the blood inlet and the blood outlet connected to the second hollow inner cavity are centrally symmetrically arranged on the edges of the blood flow plate frame, and the blood inlet is lower than the blood outlet.

[0013] Preferably, the surface material of the flat membrane is a polymer, including one or more of polyacrylonitrile, polyamide, polyimide, polytetrafluoroethylene, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polysiloxane.

[0014] Preferably, the back surface material of the flat membrane is one or both of non-woven fabric and woven mesh.

[0015] Preferably, the oxygen flow plate frame, the blood flow plate frame and the baffle are made of one or more of polyester, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate and polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0016] Preferably, the material of the gasket is one or more of silicone, polyurethane, nitrile, silicone rubber, and polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0017] Preferably, the gas-liquid exchange area of a single flat membrane is 10 to 2000 cm 2 .

[0018] Therefore, the present invention adopts a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with the above structure, which has the following technical effects:

[0019] (1) The oxygenator uses a stack of multiple flat membranes, which has a high effective membrane area for the exchange of blood and oxygen, which is conducive to a significant improvement in oxygenation efficiency;

[0020] (2) The bonding area of the flat membrane in the oxygenator is small, reducing the risk of contact between the bonding material and blood;

[0021] (3) The oxygenator is simple to prepare, easy to disassemble and clean, and convenient for reuse of components;

[0022] (4) The oxygenator adopts a modular design with a combination of multiple components, which is easy to scale up and extend to meet different application requirements.

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can, without inventive effort, derive other implementation drawings based on the provided drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural assembly diagram of a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structural assembly of a second embodiment of a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation according to the present invention.

[0027] Reference numerals

[0028] 1. Bolt connection hole; 2. Oxygen inlet; 3. Oxygen outlet; 4. Blood inlet; 5. Blood outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the present invention shall have the usual meanings understood by persons of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar terms used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects preceding the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] A stacked flat plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation comprises a left baffle, an oxygen flow plate frame, a blood flow plate frame, a gasket, a flat plate membrane and a right baffle. Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 Part A is the left baffle, part B is the oxygen flow plate frame, part C is the blood flow plate frame, part D is the gasket, part E is the flat membrane, part F is the right baffle, and part G is a schematic diagram of the oxygenator structure.

[0033] The oxygenator has a square structure. The left baffle, oxygen flow plate frame, blood flow plate frame, gasket, and right baffle are all the same size. Bolt connection holes 1 are located in the middle of each of the four edges. An oxygen inlet 2 and a blood outlet 5 are located at the corners of the left baffle. An oxygen outlet 3 and a blood inlet 4 are located at the corners opposite the left baffle. The left and right baffles are made of polyester and are sealed on either side of the oxygenator.

[0034] The oxygen flow panel and blood flow panel are made of polyester and have a hollow interior. Each of the four corners has an oxygen inlet 2, an oxygen outlet 3, a blood inlet 4, and a blood outlet 5, corresponding to the left and right baffles. The oxygen inlet 2 and oxygen outlet 3 in the oxygen flow panel communicate with the hollow interior, while the blood inlet 4 and blood outlet 5 in the blood flow panel communicate with the hollow interior.

[0035] The gas-liquid exchange area of a single flat membrane is 300 cm 2 Gaskets are placed on both sides of the flat membrane, ensuring that the membrane's front surface faces the blood flow frame and its back surface faces the oxygen flow frame. The membrane's front surface is made of polysulfone, while the back surface is made of non-woven fabric. The gasket is silicone, and a mesh screen is placed within the hollow inner cavity to support the membrane.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown in Section G, a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be constructed from n groups (n ≥ 1) of components. Each group consists, from left to right, of the following: left baffle—oxygen flow plate frame—gasket—flat membrane—gasket—blood flow plate frame—gasket—flat membrane—gasket—right baffle. Stacking the flat membranes increases the membrane area. The stacked oxygenator is secured by bolts passing through bolt holes 1 in the baffles, oxygen flow plate frame, blood flow plate frame, and gaskets to achieve a clamped seal. The flat membrane is also clamped and secured between the two gaskets, completing the assembly of the oxygenator.

[0037] After assembly is complete, oxygen is introduced into the oxygen inlet 2 on the left baffle of the oxygenator. As the oxygen flows through the oxygen flow plate frame, it enters and fills the hollow inner cavity of the oxygen flow plate frame, and then flows out of the oxygen flow plate frame's oxygen outlet 3. When oxygen flows through the blood flow plate frame, because the oxygen inlet of the blood flow baffle is not connected to the hollow inner cavity, the oxygen does not enter the blood flow plate frame, and ultimately flows out of the oxygen outlet 3 on the right baffle.

[0038] While the above process is in progress, blood is introduced into the blood inlet 4 of the right baffle of the oxygenator. When the blood flows through the blood flow plate frame, it enters and fills the hollow inner cavity of the blood flow plate frame, and then flows out from the blood outlet 5 of the blood flow plate frame. After the blood flows through the oxygen flow plate frame, since the blood inlet of the oxygen flow baffle is not connected to the hollow inner cavity, the blood will not enter the inner cavity of the oxygen flow plate frame, and finally the blood will flow out from the blood outlet 5 of the left baffle.

[0039] During the operation of the above-mentioned oxygenator, different fluids (oxygen and blood) are placed on both sides of each flat membrane. Oxygen penetrates the membrane and enters the blood, thereby increasing the oxygen saturation of the blood. The oxygen saturation at the blood outlet of the oxygenator is higher than the oxygen saturation at the blood inlet of the oxygenator.

[0040] Experimental test: The above oxygenators were assembled in sequence, with the number of units n set to 30. At this time, the membrane area of the oxygenator was 1.8m 2 The blood flow rate in and out of the oxygenator was 5L / min, the oxygen flow rate in and out of the oxygenator was 2L / min, and the gas pressure was 0.1bar. After testing, the blood oxygen saturation increased from 65% at the inlet to 98% at the outlet, which can meet the blood oxygen saturation requirements.

[0041] Example 2

[0042] A stacked flat plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation comprises a left baffle, an oxygen flow plate frame, a blood flow plate frame, a gasket, a flat plate membrane and a right baffle. Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2Part A is the left baffle, part B is the oxygen flow plate frame, part C is the blood flow plate frame, part D is the gasket, part E is the flat membrane, part F is the right baffle, and part G is a schematic diagram of the oxygenator structure.

[0043] The oxygenator has a square structure as a whole. The left baffle, oxygen flow plate frame, blood flow plate frame, gasket and right baffle are of the same size. Bolt connection holes 1 are provided at the four corners.

[0044] The oxygen flow plate frame, blood flow plate frame, and gasket are all made of polypropylene and have a hollow interior. A screen is placed within the gasket's hollow interior to support the flat membrane. Oxygen outlet 3 and oxygen inlet 2 are located on symmetrical sides of the oxygen flow plate frame, with oxygen inlet 2 positioned higher than oxygen outlet 3. Blood inlet 4 and blood outlet 5 are located on corresponding sides of the oxygen flow plate frame, with blood inlet 4 lower than blood outlet 5.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown in section G, a stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be constructed from n groups (n ≥ 1) of components. Each group, from left to right, consists of a left baffle, an oxygen flow plate frame, a gasket, a flat membrane, a gasket, a blood flow plate frame, a gasket, a flat membrane, a gasket, and a right baffle. The stacked oxygenator is secured by bolts passing through bolt holes 1 in the baffles, oxygen flow plate frame, blood flow plate frame, and gaskets to achieve a clamped seal. The flat membrane is also clamped and secured between the gaskets on both sides, completing the oxygenator assembly.

[0046] The gas-liquid exchange area of a single flat membrane is 400 cm 2 Gaskets are placed on both sides of the flat membrane, ensuring that the membrane's front surface faces the blood flow frame and its back surface faces the oxygen flow frame. The membrane's front surface is made of polyacrylonitrile, while the back surface is made of woven mesh. The gasket is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, and a mesh spacer is placed within the hollow inner cavity to support the membrane.

[0047] After assembly is completed, oxygen is introduced into the oxygen inlet 2 of each oxygen flow plate frame in the oxygenator, and then oxygen flows out from the oxygen outlet 3 of the oxygen flow plate frame. Since the opening heights of the oxygen inlet 2 and the oxygen outlet 3 are different, oxygen can flow into the oxygen flow plate frame from a high place and flow out of the oxygen flow plate frame from a low place, so as to ensure that oxygen can fill the entire cavity. At the same time, blood is introduced into the oxygen inlet 4 of each blood flow plate frame in the oxygenator, and then blood flows out from the blood outlet 5 of the blood flow plate frame. Since the opening heights of the blood inlet and the blood outlet are different, blood can flow into the blood flow plate frame from a low place and flow out of the blood flow plate frame from a high place, so as to ensure that blood can fill the entire cavity. The height setting principle of the above-mentioned openings is that, under the premise that the fluid can enter the oxygenator, the opening at the high place is close to the upper frame, and the opening at the low place is close to the lower frame.

[0048] During the operation of the above-mentioned oxygenator, different fluids (oxygen and blood) are placed on both sides of each flat membrane. Oxygen penetrates the membrane and enters the blood, thereby increasing the oxygen saturation of the blood. The oxygen saturation at the blood outlet of the oxygenator is higher than the oxygen saturation at the blood inlet of the oxygenator.

[0049] Experimental test: The above oxygenators were assembled in sequence, with the number of units n set to 20. At this time, the membrane area of the oxygenator was 1.6m 2 The blood flow rate in and out of the oxygenator was 5L / min, the oxygen flow rate in and out of the oxygenator was 2L / min, and the gas pressure was 0.1bar. After testing, the blood oxygen saturation increased from 65% at the inlet to 99% at the outlet, which can meet the blood oxygen saturation requirements.

[0050] The membrane area of the oxygenator currently available on the market is usually 1.0m 2 , under the same conditions of gas pressure and blood gas flow as in this experiment, the oxygen saturation can only be increased to 95%.

[0051] Therefore, the stacked flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation of the present invention using the above structure can significantly increase the membrane area of the oxygenator, increase the exchange area between blood and oxygen, and improve the oxygenation efficiency.

[0052] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify or replace the technical solutions of the present invention with equivalents, and these modifications or equivalent replacements cannot cause the modified technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A stackable flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, characterized in that: The oxygenator comprises a left baffle, a right baffle, an oxygen flow plate frame, a blood flow plate frame, a flat membrane and a gasket. An oxygen inlet and a blood outlet are respectively provided at a corner of one side of the left baffle. An oxygen outlet and a blood inlet are respectively provided at a corner on the opposite side of the right baffle. The left baffle and the right baffle are respectively provided on both sides of the oxygenator and sealed. The oxygen flow plate frame has a first hollow inner cavity through which oxygen can pass, and the blood flow plate frame has a second hollow inner cavity through which blood can pass; The oxygen flow plate frame and the blood flow plate frame are each provided with an oxygen inlet, an oxygen outlet, a blood inlet and a blood outlet at four corners corresponding to the left baffle and the right baffle; The oxygen inlet and the oxygen outlet in the oxygen flow plate frame are in communication with the first hollow lumen, and the blood inlet and the blood outlet in the blood flow plate frame are in communication with the second hollow lumen; The flat membrane includes a first flat membrane and a second flat membrane, and the baffles on both sides are connected by n groups of stacked elements, where n ≥ 1, and the elements are the oxygen flow plate frame, the first flat membrane, the blood flow plate frame, and the second flat membrane stacked in sequence; The gaskets are provided at both ends of the flat membrane. The flat membrane is divided into a surface and a bottom surface, the surface is the blood contact side, and the bottom surface is the gas contact side; The surface material of the flat membrane is a polymer, including one or more of polyacrylonitrile, polyamide, polyimide, polytetrafluoroethylene, polysulfone, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polysiloxane; The back surface material of the flat membrane is one or both of non-woven fabric and woven mesh; The oxygen flow plate frame, the blood flow plate frame and the baffle are made of one or more materials selected from polyester, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride and polytetrafluoroethylene; The material of the gasket is one or more of silicone, polyurethane, nitrile, and polytetrafluoroethylene; The gas-liquid exchange area of a single flat membrane is 10-2000 cm 2 .

2. The stackable flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The baffle, the oxygen flow plate frame, the blood flow plate frame and the gasket are connected by bolts.

3. The stackable flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation according to claim 1, characterized in that: A third hollow inner cavity is provided on the gasket, and a partition net is provided inside the third hollow inner cavity.

4. The stackable flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface material of the flat membrane is a polymer, and the polymer includes polyethersulfone.

5. The stackable flat-plate oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the gasket is silicone rubber.

Images