Blood Cassette Venting for Optical Pathogen Cell Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treatments for bloodstream infections caused by pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli and Candida auris, are often ineffective, leading to severe conditions like sepsis and potentially fatal outcomes.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that identifies and vents pathogen cells from blood using a system with a cassette containing holding chambers, a light source, and an imager and processor unit to repeatedly image and remove pathogen cells through a sump, reducing their count over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If antibiotics are used to treat bloodstream infections, then pathogenic cells are targeted for elimination, but treatment is often unsuccessful for many patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes pathogenic cells directly from the bloodstream using a physical separation process. The system images blood cells, identifies pathogenic ones based on their characteristics, and physically removes them through a venting mechanism, bypassing the need for antibiotic action and directly reducing pathogen load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical mechanism of antibiotics with a mechanical/optical system that images, identifies, and physically removes pathogenic cells. This substitution uses light sources, imagers, and mechanical venting to achieve pathogen elimination instead of relying on chemical antibiotic action.
2Quantity of substance
If pathogen cells are repeatedly identified and removed from blood, then the count of pathogen cells decreases, but the treatment process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the blood processing into distinct functional zones within the chamber: an identification zone for imaging and detecting pathogenic cells, and a processing zone for removal. This segmentation allows simultaneous operation of multiple functions while maintaining a manageable system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The chamber structure serves multiple functions: it contains the blood sample, provides imaging capability, enables cell identification, facilitates physical removal, and allows repeated processing cycles. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated devices for each operation.
3Reliability
If blood is continuously processed through imaging and venting, then pathogen cells are removed over time, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous processing by maintaining blood flow through the chamber and repeatedly cycling the imaging-identification-venting sequence. The system continuously images the blood, identifies new pathogenic cells as they pass through the identification zone, and removes them in real-time, maximizing pathogen elimination efficiency.
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
Effectively decreases the number of pathogen cells in the bloodstream, potentially mitigating the harmful effects of infections like sepsis by repeatedly identifying and removing pathogenic cells.
Implementation Method 1
a light source and an imager and processor unit to image the blood cells and identify and locate the pathogen cells
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for locating and venting pathogen cells in blood. A cassette has a plurality of thin holding chambers that are filled with blood drawn from a patient. A light source illuminates each of the holding chambers and passes light to an underlying sensor array such that the cells in the blood produce shadow images of the cells in the sensor array. A processor performs pattern recognition to identify and locate the pathogen cells by use of an image library. After the pathogen cells are located, a pump is operated to move the identified cells to a processing zone. When each identified cell reaches the processing zone, a control voltage is generated to open a valve to vent the identified pathogen cells. The pump refills the cassette holding chambers, returns the processed blood to the patient, and the procedure is repeated for a treatment time period.