Artificial Lung Gas Guide Structure for Bubble Accumulation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing artificial lung devices face issues such as bubble accumulation, inefficient blood component concentration maintenance, and inadequate heating or cooling due to improper blood flow paths and tube routing, which can lead to increased pressure and potential bloodstream stoppage.
Innovation Solution
The artificial lung device features a housing with a lateral axis, a gas exchanger, a filter structure, and a bubble guide system that redirects bubbles back to the exchanger, along with rotatable blood outflow ports and a heat exchanger configuration to enhance bubble removal and facilitate tube routing and heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blood flows through the gas exchanger in conventional artificial lung devices, then gas exchange is performed, but bubbles are generated and accumulated in the blood passage, leading to increased pressure and potential bloodstream stoppage
Solution Approach 1:
The blood passage is divided into multiple segments with different functions: a first blood passage for gas exchange and a second blood passage for bubble removal. The gas exchanger is segmented into hollow fibers with blood-contacting surfaces, allowing separation of gas exchange function and bubble management function to resolve the contradiction between maintaining gas exchange reliability and preventing bubble accumulation
Solution Approach 2:
A bubble trap is introduced as an intermediary component between the gas exchanger and the blood passage. This bubble trap captures and removes bubbles generated during gas exchange, preventing them from accumulating in the blood passage and causing harmful effects, thus resolving the contradiction between gas exchange function and bubble accumulation problem
2Ease of manufacture
If the housing is arranged with headers at upper and lower sides in conventional designs, then the device can stand vertically, but tube routing becomes complex and heating/cooling efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of arranging headers at upper and lower sides for vertical standing, the housing is designed with headers at lateral sides, allowing the device to stand on its base surface horizontally. This inversion simplifies tube routing by reducing the number of bends required and improves heating/cooling efficiency by allowing better thermal contact with the blood passage, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing ease and device complexity
3Reliability
If blood flows through the gas exchanger, then oxygen is added and carbon dioxide is removed, but blood component concentration may be diluted
Solution Approach 1:
The gas exchanger is designed with specific local structures including a bubble trap at the outlet and optimized hollow fiber arrangements. These local quality improvements ensure that while gas exchange function is maintained, blood component concentration is preserved by preventing excessive dilution and bubble accumulation, thus resolving the contradiction between gas exchange reliability and blood composition stability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively prevents bubble accumulation, maintains blood component concentration, and ensures adequate heating or cooling by optimizing blood flow paths and tube arrangements, reducing the risk of pressure increase and bloodstream stoppage.
Implementation Method 1
The hollow fibers remove carbon dioxide from the blood having contacted the hollow fibers, and adds oxygen to the blood
Implementation Method 2
an opposing wall arranged so as to be opposed to a surface of the gas exchanger; and a space constituted by the opposing wall and/or the filter structure. The opposing wall includes an inclined surface inclined toward the gas exchanger
Implementation Method 3
a heat exchanger configuration to enhance bubble removal and facilitate tube routing and heating
Data Source
AI summary
An artificial lung device includes: a housing which is formed in a tubular shape including both end portions closed, includes a blood inflow port and a blood outflow port, and is arranged such that a center axis of the housing is directed in a lateral direction; a hollow fiber body (gas exchanger) which is arranged in the housing and performs gas exchange with respect to blood while the blood flows from the blood inflow port to the blood outflow port; and a straightening frame (gas guide portion) by which a gas having flowed through the gas exchanger by the flow of the blood is guided to the gas exchanger again in the housing.