Device for removing gas from aqueous liquids

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for removing gas from aqueous liquids, particularly blood-based liquids, the device having a first compartment through which an aqueous liquid flows during operation of the device and a second compartment through which a purging gas flows during operation of the device, the first and second compartments being separated from each other by a semipermeable membrane; and the device having a third compartment through which a liquid proton donor, which is an organic or inorganic acid, flows during operation of the device, the first and third compartments being separated from each other by an ion-permeable membrane comprising at least one cation conductor. TIFF2023514314000002.tif81128

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for removing gas from aqueous fluids, preferably blood-based fluids. The present invention further relates to a composition comprising a liquid proton donor and the use of the composition to treat hypercapnia. [Background technology]

[0002] Hypercapnia refers to elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. Carbon dioxide is normally present in the blood as a waste product of cellular metabolism. The blood circulation carries carbon dioxide from cells to the lungs, where it is exhaled. Inadequate lung ventilation, for example, in pulmonary disease or pulmonary failure, causes carbon dioxide to accumulate in the blood. This results in respiratory acidosis of the blood, which can be potentially fatal if the pH drops below 7.0.

[0003] In such situations, carbon dioxide must be removed from the blood as quickly as possible. Because patients cannot accomplish this themselves, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is typically used, in which the blood interacts with a purging gas through a membrane. Carbon dioxide is removed from the blood through a membrane in the oxygenator, while oxygen is simultaneously added. In a membrane oxygenator, large vessels (e.g., the femoral or internal jugular veins) are used to withdraw and return blood. Thus, a significant amount of blood withdrawn from the patient circulates through the ECMO machine during this procedure.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to improve the removal of carbon dioxide from aqueous fluids, particularly blood-based fluids, so that the removal can be accomplished with a smaller patient access and at the same time is more efficient, so that less blood can be drawn from the patient and a sufficient proportion of the carbon dioxide present in the blood can be removed in a shorter(er) time. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In accordance with the present invention, a device for removing gas from an aqueous liquid is provided; the device comprises a first compartment that is permeated by the aqueous liquid during operation of the device and a second compartment that is permeated by a purging gas during operation of the device, the first and second compartments being separated from one another by a semi-permeable membrane; and the device comprises a third compartment that is permeated by a liquid proton donor during operation of the device, the first and third compartments being separated from one another by an ion-permeable membrane.

[0006] The device according to the present invention is useful for at least partially removing gas from aqueous liquids, in particular for at least partially removing carbon dioxide from blood. Each compartment is part of a separate circulation and is permeated by a corresponding substance during operation. A pump may be provided in each circulation, which serves to implement the corresponding flow. The device according to the present invention is implemented so that during operation, a substance in the first compartment interacts with a substance in the second compartment through a semipermeable membrane, and simultaneously during operation, a substance in the first compartment also interacts with a substance in the third compartment through an ion-permeable membrane. In contrast, substances flowing through the second and third compartments do not interact with each other. This feature is realized in that the second and third compartments are spatially separated from each other so that a substance in the second compartment does not directly contact the ion-permeable membrane of the third compartment, and conversely, a substance in the third compartment does not directly contact the semipermeable membrane of the second compartment. Interaction, as used herein, refers to the exchange of materials between two substances through a separating layer, such as a membrane. The gas is at least partially removed from the material in the first compartment, i.e., from the aqueous liquid, by favorably interacting with the material in the second compartment and the material in the third compartment. The favorable or desired interaction may be achieved by providing a concentration gradient between the first and second compartments and between the first and third compartments for the gas and associated ions to be removed. The liquid proton donor may be an organic or inorganic acid, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl). The liquid proton donor is preferably non-toxic. Buffer solutions containing equivalent amounts of ions (e.g., hydrogen cations) but having a milder pH (e.g., 6.9) than hydrochloric acid may also be used.

[0007] In a further embodiment of the device, the aqueous liquid may be a blood-based liquid, preferably blood. In this case, carbon dioxide, in particular, may be at least partially removed from the blood by the device. In this context, the purging gas may be pure oxygen, as is typical for ECMO applications. When the aqueous liquid is blood, the device can be seen as an expanded ECMO machine, in which a membrane oxygenator, in which carbon dioxide is removed from the blood and oxygen is added thereto, is additionally provided with a third compartment permeated with a liquid proton donor.

[0008] Through the interaction between the blood fluid and the purging gas through the semipermeable membrane, carbon dioxide physically dissolved in the blood is transferred to the purging gas and thus removed from the blood fluid. Physically dissolved (physically bound) carbon dioxide is understood to be carbon dioxide dissolved as a gas in the blood fluid. At the same time, the blood is enriched with oxygen from the purging gas. This process corresponds to conventional oxygenation of blood through a membrane in ECMO or ECC02R (EC02R: extracorporeal CO2 removal). Through the interaction between the blood fluid and the liquid proton donor through the ion-permeable membrane, carbon dioxide chemically dissolved in the blood fluid reacts with hydrogen ions (H+) that have diffused from the liquid proton donor through the membrane into the blood fluid. Chemically dissolved (chemically bound) carbon dioxide is understood to be carbon dioxide "trapped" in bicarbonate compounds such as potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or magnesium bicarbonate. This allows proton exchange to occur between a liquid proton donor, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl), and bicarbonate compounds present in the blood-based fluid, resulting in the formation of carbonic acid (H2CO3). However, the acid is highly unstable and decomposes into water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The carbon dioxide is then released from its original bicarbonate compound and can be carried away by the purge gas. The proton exchange, in which cations migrate from the blood-based fluid to the liquid proton donor in exchange for hydrogen cations (H+) provided by the liquid proton donor, ensures that no electrical potential develops between materials within the device of the present invention, and therefore the materials and device remain electrically neutral.

[0009] The liquid proton donor may contain materials such as potassium and / or calcium and / or magnesium such that a concentration gradient toward the blood fluid, which would result in the removal of physiologically important minerals from the blood, is avoided. In other words, an equilibrium in the electrochemical potential between the liquid proton donor and the blood fluid is sought for the material, so that certain materials (such as potassium and calcium) are not removed from the blood fluid and do not migrate to the liquid proton donor. Sodium may be removed from the blood fluid, preferably during induced ion exchange, and may migrate through the ion-permeable membrane into the liquid proton donor as an exchange cation. The diffusion of sodium as an exchange ion may be regulated by the corresponding concentration gradient between the blood fluid and the liquid proton donor for the material. For this purpose in particular, the liquid proton donor need not contain sodium.

[0010] By providing a third compartment permeated with a liquid proton donor, an additional mechanism is provided by which carbon dioxide can be further removed from the blood compared to typical ECMO treatments. In other words, an additional source of carbon dioxide in the blood fluid can be "tapped," thereby eliminating carbon dioxide more efficiently and rapidly. This allows the device of the present invention to operate using a smaller volume of blood than typical ECMO treatments, thus requiring a smaller access point and eliminating the need for large blood vessels to remove blood. Therefore, the device of the present invention can provide sufficient carbon dioxide removal from the blood fluid at a blood access point where approximately 400 ml of blood is drawn per minute. As a further advantage, the device of the present invention allows for more protective breathing settings, such as lower breathing pressures, thereby causing less damage to the lungs.

[0011] The device according to the invention may be implemented such that each of the second and third compartments comprises a plurality of elongated structures, e.g., a plurality of hollow channels, e.g., in the form of hollow fibers. The long length of the compartments (and the correspondingly adjusted permeation rate) allows enrichment of the blood fluid with protons from the liquid proton donor to occur slowly, avoiding pH shock, where contact time between the substances in the first and third compartments is a determining factor.

[0012] In a further embodiment of the device, the second compartment may be bounded by or comprise a plurality of lines made of a semipermeable material, preferably hollow fibers. The lines may be made substantially of, for example, a polyolefin and may comprise, for example, polymethylpentene (PMP). All of the lines forming the second compartment may have a common inlet and outlet that are separate from the inlets and outlets of the other compartments.

[0013] In a further embodiment of the device, the third compartment may be bounded by or comprise a plurality of lines made of an ion-permeable material, preferably hollow fibers. The lines may be made of a plastic that is permeable to ions, particularly hydrogen cations. All of the lines forming the third compartment may have a common inlet and outlet that are separate from the inlets and outlets of the other compartments.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the device, the ion-permeable membrane may comprise a cation conductor, such as Nafion, or a cation-anion conductor. The cation conductor may be selective. In the case of a non-selective cation conductor, selectivity in terms of its permeability depends on the cations (H) involved in the ion exchange. + and Na + In contrast, cations that are not intended to participate in ion exchange (such as the physiologically relevant K in the case of blood) are not intended to participate in ion exchange. + , Ca 2+ , Mg2+ ions are prevented from diffusing from the blood fluid into the liquid proton donor in that at least the same concentration of said ions is present in the proton donor as in the blood fluid. The ion-permeable membrane may also be a plastic that is permeable to both anions and cations, i.e., an ion conductor.

[0015] An ion-permeable membrane is understood to be a membrane that is permeable only to ions, but, in contrast, not to neutral atoms and molecules. An ion-permeable membrane may also be permeable only to certain ions, for example, ions up to a certain ionic radius. Ion-exchange membranes, i.e., ion exchangers processed to form thin films, may also be referred to by ion-permeable membranes. Ion-exchange membranes may be used to selectively allow the passage of selected ions. Thus, ion-exchange membranes may be permeable only to cations (cation conductors) or to both cations and anions (cation-anion conductors).

[0016] One preferred cation conductor is Nafion. Nafion (2-[1-[difluoro-[(trifluoroethenyl)oxy]methyl]-1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy]-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethanesulfonic acid; CAS number: 31175-20-9) is a porous copolymer containing sulfonic acid groups as ionic groups. The Nafion substructure is perfluoro-3,6-dioxa-4-methyl-7-octene-1-sulfonic acid and tetrafluoroethene. The acidic sulfonic acid groups in Nafion allow the perfluorinated polymer to have ionic properties. Nafion is selectively conductive to protons and other cations. Therefore, Nafion has a blocking effect on anions.

[0017] Then, when hydrochloric acid is used as the liquid proton donor, Cl - Na can also be obtained by shifting anions such as Na out of the liquid proton donor. +In addition to shifting target cations such as HCl out of the blood fluid, it also shifts the cations of the liquid proton donors (e.g., H + ), but care must also be taken to avoid undesired shifts of anions out of the blood fluid and into the liquid proton donor.

[0018] In a further embodiment of the device, the lines of the second compartment and the lines of the third compartment may reside within the first compartment, excluding their inlets and outlets. This may maximize the surface area available for interaction between the substances of the first and second compartments, and between the substances of the first and third compartments. By separating the inlets and outlets of the compartments, the flow rates and flow directions for the corresponding substances can be set independently for each.

[0019] In a further aspect of the device, the lines in the second compartment and the lines in the third compartment may always be separated from each other by a partial volume of the first compartment. In other words, the lines in the second compartment and the lines in the third compartment may be spaced apart from each other so that a substance present in the first compartment can flow between said lines. This design is advantageous because the substance in the first compartment is a target substance for interaction with the substances in the second and third compartments.

[0020] In a further embodiment of the device, the first compartment may comprise an inlet and an outlet for guiding blood through the first compartment, wherein the inlet and outlet are arranged such that the flow of aqueous liquid through the first compartment can be regulated during operation of the device. The inlet and outlet may be advantageously arranged on opposite sides of the compartment such that the aqueous liquid flows substantially through the entire first compartment (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally relative to the direction of gravity) from the inlet of the first compartment to the outlet of the first compartment.

[0021] The device according to the present invention may include additional fluidic elements such as a flow limiter and a heater. For example, a pH sensor may be present in the circuit circulating through the third compartment. This may provide a closed-loop control circuit so that the pH value of the liquid proton donor can be automatically adjusted to the pH value of blood. For example, if the pH value of the liquid proton donor is too low, its flow rate through the third compartment may be slowed. Alternatively, a pH sensor may also be provided in the first compartment to directly measure the pH value of the aqueous liquid.

[0022] In various embodiments, there is further provided a composition comprising a liquid proton donor permeating the third compartment of a device according to the present invention for use in a method for treating or curing hypercapnia.

[0023] In various embodiments, there is provided a use of a composition comprising a liquid proton donor to permeate the third compartment of a device according to the invention to treat hypercapnia. The use of the composition may also include permeating the first compartment of a device according to the invention with blood and permeating the second compartment of a device according to the invention with a purge gas.

[0024] In a further embodiment of the composition or the use of the composition according to the invention, the liquid proton donor may comprise a preferably non-toxic acid such as hydrochloric acid, or an acidic buffer solution. The acidic buffer solution may be slightly more acidic relative to the physiological pH of blood, which is 7.35 to 7.45 in humans, and may have a pH value in the range of 6.5 to 7. In a further embodiment, the acidic buffer solution may have a pH value in the range of 4 to 6.5, preferably 4 to 6, more preferably 4 to 5.5, even more preferably 4 to 5, and even more preferably 4 to 4.5.

[0025] In a further embodiment of the composition or of the use of the composition according to the invention, at least one metal cation of a physiologically relevant type may be present in the liquid proton donor at least in physiological concentrations. Preferably, the physiologically relevant metal cation (K + , Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+ ) may be present in the liquid proton donor at least at their corresponding physiological concentrations. In other words, physiologically relevant metal cations may be present in the liquid proton donor at concentrations equal to or higher than those in plasma in each case. This may prevent physiologically relevant metal cations from being removed from the blood and diffusing into the third compartment due to a concentration gradient. However, preferably, no sodium is present in the liquid proton donor. This creates a concentration gradient for sodium between the first and third compartments during operation of the device according to the present invention; this allows for a selection, as explained above, regarding the exchange cations that diffuse out of the first compartment into the third compartment in exchange for the hydrogen cations donated by the liquid proton donor.

[0026] In a further embodiment of the composition according to the invention or of the use according to the invention of the composition, hypercapnia may be caused by COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), asthma, pneumonia or sleep apnea.

[0027] In a further embodiment of the composition or of the use of the composition according to the invention, the composition may further comprise a purging gas that permeates the second compartment of the device described herein. The purging gas may be a purging gas typically used for ECMO treatment.

[0028] In a further embodiment of the composition or of the use of the composition according to the invention, the treating may comprise the steps of providing a flow of an aqueous liquid through the first compartment; providing a flow of a purging gas through the second compartment; and providing a flow of a liquid proton donor through the third compartment.

[0029] [The present invention 1001] a first compartment that is permeated with a blood-containing fluid, preferably blood, during operation of the device; a second compartment permeated by a purge gas during operation of the device, the first compartment and the second compartment being separated from each other by a semipermeable membrane; a third compartment that is permeated by a liquid proton donor, which is an organic or inorganic acid, during operation of the device, the first and third compartments being separated from each other by an ion-permeable membrane comprising at least one cation conductor; 1. A device for removing gas from an aqueous liquid, comprising: [The present invention 1002] A device of the present invention 1001, in which carbon dioxide dissolved in a blood fluid reacts with hydrogen ions of the proton donor through an ion-permeable membrane to form carbonic acid, and the hydrogen ions diffuse out of the liquid proton donor through the ion-permeable membrane and into the blood fluid. [The present invention 1003] The device of invention 1001 or 1002, wherein the carbonic acid produced is decomposed into water and carbon dioxide for being carried away by the purge gas in the second compartment. [The present invention 1004] The device of any one of claims 1001 to 1003, wherein the second compartment comprises a plurality of lines, preferably hollow fibers, made of a semi-permeable material. [The present invention 1005] The device of any one of claims 1001 to 1004, wherein the third compartment comprises a plurality of lines, preferably hollow fibers, made of an ion-permeable membrane. [The present invention 1006] The device of any one of claims 1001 to 1005, wherein the ion-permeable membrane contains a cation-anion conductor. [The present invention 1007] A device according to any one of inventions 1004 to 1006 and referring to inventions 1003 and 1004, wherein the lines of the second compartment and the lines of the third compartment are present within the first compartment, except for their inlets and outlets. [The present invention 1008] A device according to any of inventions 1004 to 1007 and referring to inventions 1003 and 1004, wherein the lines of the second compartment and the lines of the third compartment are always separated from each other by a partial volume of the first compartment. [The present invention 1009] Any of the devices of the present invention 1004 to 1008, wherein the first compartment has an inlet and an outlet for guiding aqueous liquid through the first compartment, the inlet and the outlet being arranged so that the flow of blood through the first compartment can be adjusted during operation of the device. [The present invention 1010] A composition comprising a liquid proton donor and permeating the third compartment of any of the devices of the present invention 1001-1009 for use in a method for treating hypercapnia. [The present invention 1011] Use of a composition comprising a liquid proton donor and permeating the third compartment of any of the devices of the present invention 1001-1009 to treat hypercapnia. [The present invention 1012] The composition of invention 1010 or the use of invention 1011, wherein the liquid proton donor is preferably a non-toxic acid or comprises an acidic buffer solution. [The present invention 1013] At least one metal cation of a physiologically relevant type is present in the liquid proton donor in at least physiological concentrations; and Preferably, no sodium is present in the liquid proton donor. A composition of the invention 1010 or 1012 or a use of the invention 1011 or 1012. [The present invention 1014] A composition of any of inventions 1010, 1012, or 1013, or a use of any of inventions 1011-1013, wherein said composition further comprises a purge gas that permeates the second compartment of the device of any of inventions 1001-1008. [The present invention 1015] The treatment is at the following stage: providing a flow of an aqueous liquid through the first compartment; providing a flow of purge gas through the second compartment; and providing a flow of a liquid proton donor through the second compartment. A composition of any one of inventions 1010, 1012 to 1014, or a use of any one of inventions 1011 to 1014, comprising: Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a schematic structure of a device for removing gas from an aqueous liquid, according to various example embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing three compartments and the chemical reactions that occur during operation of a device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 3A-3C show the possible positions of the three compartments of a device according to the present invention relative to each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a schematic structure of a device 1 according to the present invention for removing gas from an aqueous liquid. The depiction focuses on the interaction space of the device 1, i.e., the area where substances in the corresponding compartments can interact with each other; other fluid components (lines, pumps, sensors, etc.) are not depicted. The device 1 comprises a first compartment 2, a second compartment 3, and a third compartment 4. Each of the compartments 2, 3, and 4 has two connections: the first compartment 2 has a first connection 21 and a second connection 22, the second compartment 3 has a third connection 31 and a fourth connection 32, and the third compartment 4 has a fifth connection 41 and a sixth connection 42. Depending on the direction in which the corresponding substance penetrates the corresponding compartment, one connection of each of the compartments 2, 3, and 4 functions as an inlet during operation of the device according to the present invention, and the corresponding other connection functions as an outlet. To maintain the circulation of the substances, a pump, for example, may be arranged between each pair of connections of the compartments 2, 3, and 4.

[0032] The first compartment 2, which is permeated with the aqueous liquid, may have any shape, such as a cylinder as shown in FIG. 1 . Each connector may be located near the floor and near the compartment cover. The second compartment 3 comprises a plurality of first lines 33, preferably hollow fibers, providing fluid connection between the third connector 31 and the fourth connector 32. The third connector 31 and the fourth connector 32 each open into reservoirs in the uppermost and lowermost regions of the interaction space of the device 1, although the reservoirs are not a required feature; in the embodiment shown herein, each reservoir extends over the entire base surface of the interaction space. The first lines 33 connect the two reservoirs to each other. In a similar manner, the third compartment 4 comprises a plurality of second lines 43, preferably hollow fibers, located between the fifth connector 41 and the sixth connector 42. The fifth and sixth connections 41 and 42 each open into a reservoir in the top and bottom regions of the interaction space of the device 1; in the illustrated embodiment, each reservoir extends over the entire base surface of the interaction space 1. Because the reservoir of the second compartment 3 encloses or is disposed above and below the reservoir of the third compartment 4 from an external perspective, the first line 33 extends through the reservoir of the third compartment 4. In this regard, the second line 43 of the third compartment 4 is advantageously longer in design than the first line 33 of the second compartment 3, since the first line also extends through the reservoir of the third compartment 4. A plan view of cross section Q in the central region of the interaction space is shown to the right of the side view of the interaction space of the device 1. Cross section Q shows that the first line 33 of the second compartment 3 and the second line 43 of the third compartment 4 each extend through the first compartment 2, spaced apart from each other by a distance. The first line 33 and the second line 43 are also spaced apart from each other by a distance within the volume of the first compartment 2 .

[0033] It should be noted that the arrangement and position of the second compartment 3 and the third compartment 4 as shown in Figure 1 embodies one of many possible arrangements. In further embodiments, the positions of the second and third compartments 3, 4 as shown in Figure 1 may be interchanged. Furthermore, the flow direction of the material flowing through each of the compartments 2, 3, 4 (top to bottom or bottom to top in Figure 1) may generally be adjusted in each case individually and independently of the other two compartments. The total number and cross-section of the first lines 33 and second lines 43 may be selected as needed.

[0034] 2 illustrates the chemical processes occurring between the first and second compartments 2, 3 and between the first and third compartments 2, 4 during operation of the device 1 according to the present invention. The first compartment 2 is permeated by an aqueous liquid, preferably blood, from which gas, preferably carbon dioxide, is to be removed. Physically dissolved carbon dioxide is present in the blood liquid. Additionally, physiologically relevant metal cations are present in the blood liquid at their respective physiological concentrations. The metal cations are bound in bicarbonate compounds. At the same time, carbon dioxide is also chemically bound in the bicarbonate compounds.

[0035] A purge gas, typically comprising pure oxygen (O2), flows through the second compartment 3. A semi-permeable membrane 5 is disposed between the first compartment 2 and the third compartment 3. Because of a concentration gradient of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the first compartment 2 and the second compartment 3, carbon dioxide physically bound in the blood 7 is released and diffuses through the semi-permeable membrane 5 into the second compartment 3. In exchange, oxygen diffuses out of the purge gas, through the semi-permeable membrane 5 into the blood fluid, and is taken up by the red blood cells 7 therein. This process is well known from typical ECMO applications and is sketched in the first marked area 8.

[0036] Carbon dioxide chemically bound in the bicarbonate compound is released from the bicarbonate compound by a liquid proton donor permeating the third compartment 4. Cation exchange occurs across an ion exchange membrane 6 disposed between the first compartment 2 and the third compartment 4, said exchange being further sketched in the second marked area 9. The process is also driven by a concentration gradient for the exchange ion. In the embodiment shown for blood oxygenation, the exchange ion is sodium (Na ), which is the target exchange ion in the illustrated example. + ). Sodium diffuses through the ion exchange membrane 6 into the (low sodium) third compartment 4. In exchange, hydrogen cations present in the liquid proton donor diffuse out of the third compartment 4 into the first compartment 2. The hydrogen cations are converted to bicarbonate (HCO - 3), thereby forming carbonic acid (H2CO3), which is unstable and eventually decomposes relatively quickly into water (H2O) and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide molecules thus released cross semipermeable membrane 5 into second compartment 3 in a manner similar to physically dissolved carbon dioxide molecules. The liquid proton donor in third compartment 4 thereby serves to release the chemically bound carbon dioxide, while removal of the carbon dioxide so released from the blood fluid occurs by the purge gas permeating second compartment 3 as previously described.

[0037] In general, many different possibilities exist for the design of the interaction space between the three substances, and in particular for the spatial arrangement of the first line 33 of the second compartment 3 and the second line 43 of the third compartment 4 relative to each other and within the first compartment 2. Three basic embodiments are sketched in Figures 3A-3C. The bars in each figure represent compartments within the interaction area of ​​the device 1 and are labeled with the corresponding compartment number. The vertical length of each bar also defines the axis along which the corresponding compartment will be infiltrated with the associated substance. Thus, two basic infiltration flow directions arise for each compartment 2, 3, 4:

[0038] The embodiment sketched in FIG. 3A substantially corresponds to the embodiment of the device 1 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1, in which the lines of the second compartment 3 and the third compartment 4 are aligned parallel to each other, and the flow directions of materials through the three compartments 2, 3, and 4 are all aligned parallel to each other. The actual flow direction of materials through each compartment may occur from top to bottom or bottom to top, independent of the flow directions in the other two compartments. The locations of the compartments 2, 3, and 4 within the interaction area 1 sketched in FIG. 3A serve only to illustrate the relative arrangement of the flow directions through the compartments relative to each other; the number of bars shown in the figure does not specifically correspond to the number of lines associated with a compartment. The relative number and arrangement of the hollow channels forming the second compartment 3 and the third compartment 4 relative to each other can be implemented in various ways. An example of this is shown in cross-sectional view Q in FIG. 1, where it is clear that the first lines 33 form a hexagonal grid and the second lines 43 (except for the second lines 43 located at the edges) are located in the centers of the hexagons. The lines of second compartments 3 and third compartments 4 may also be arranged in alternating rows, adjacent to each other, or in other geometric patterns.

[0039] In the relative arrangement of compartments 2, 3, 4 relative to one another shown in Figure 3B, the flow direction of aqueous liquid through first compartment 2 is perpendicular to the flow direction of material through second compartment 3 and third compartment 4. The relative arrangement of the lines of second compartment 3 and fourth compartment 4 relative to one another may essentially correspond to one of the arrangements mentioned with reference to Figure 3A.

[0040] Finally, a further possible embodiment of the interaction space of the device is shown in FIG. 3C , where the flow direction through the second compartment 3 and the flow direction through the third compartment 4 are perpendicular to the flow direction through the first compartment 2. However, as a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B , the hollow channels of the second compartment 3 are additionally angled relative to the hollow channels of the first compartment 2, so that the flow directions are correspondingly angled relative to each other. The angle may preferably be, for example, 90°. The lines of the second compartment 3 and the second lines of the third compartment 4 may thereby substantially implement a rectangular or square grid structure (as viewed from the aqueous liquid permeating the first compartment 2), with the intermediate spaces of the grid structure being permeated by the aqueous liquid. The grid structure may be implemented so that the lines of the second compartment 3 and the lines of the third compartment 4 contact each other, thus implementing intersections of a grid-like structure. Alternatively, the lines of the second compartment 3 and the lines of the third compartment 4 may be arranged perpendicular to each other in rows spaced apart from each other.

Claims

1. a first compartment that is permeated by a blood-containing fluid, preferably blood, during operation of the device; a second compartment permeated by a purge gas during operation of the device, the first compartment and the second compartment being separated from each other by a semipermeable membrane; a third compartment that is permeated by a liquid proton donor, which is an organic or inorganic acid, during operation of the device, the first and third compartments being separated from each other by an ion-permeable membrane comprising at least one cation conductor; 1. A device for removing gas from an aqueous liquid, comprising:

2. 10. The device of claim 1, wherein carbon dioxide dissolved in the blood fluid reacts with hydrogen ions of the proton donor through interaction of the blood fluid with the liquid proton donor through the ion permeable membrane to form carbonic acid, and the hydrogen ions diffuse out of the liquid proton donor through the ion permeable membrane and into the blood fluid.

3. 3. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the carbonic acid produced is decomposed into water and carbon dioxide for being carried away by the purge gas in the second compartment.

4. 4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second compartment comprises a plurality of lines, preferably hollow fibres, made of semi-permeable material.

5. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the third compartment comprises a plurality of lines, preferably hollow fibres, made of ion-permeable membrane.

6. The device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ion-permeable membrane comprises a cation-anion conductor.

7. A device described in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the second compartment has a plurality of lines made of a semi-permeable material, the third compartment has a plurality of lines made of an ion-permeable membrane, and the plurality of lines of the second compartment and the plurality of lines of the third compartment are present within the first compartment, except for their inlets and outlets.

8. A device as described in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the second compartment has a plurality of lines made of a semi-permeable material, and the third compartment has a plurality of lines made of an ion-permeable membrane, and the plurality of lines in the second compartment and the plurality of lines in the third compartment are always separated from each other by a partial volume of the first compartment.

9. 9. The device of any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the first compartment comprises an inlet and an outlet for guiding aqueous liquid through the first compartment, the inlet and outlet being arranged such that the flow of blood through the first compartment can be adjusted during operation of the device.

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