Venous-Venous Blood CO2 Removal System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current extracorporeal blood gas exchange systems for CO2 and bicarbonate removal are inefficient, particularly in venous-venous approaches, which only manage to remove up to 50% of metabolic CO2 production, posing risks and limitations in invasive procedures and lacking in efficacy.
Innovation Solution
A system that separates plasmatic water from whole blood using a hemofilter, allowing for the treatment of bicarbonate-rich plasma water with methods that wouldn't damage other blood components, enabling efficient removal of CO2 and bicarbonates, thereby reducing total blood CO2 content without side effects, and reintegrating treated plasma water back into the blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a venous-venous approach is used with low blood flow, then safety is improved and invasiveness is reduced, but CO2 removal efficiency deteriorates (only 50% removal)
Solution Approach 1:
The blood is segmented into two fractions: plasmatic water (ultrafiltrate) and cellular components. The hemofilter separates plasmatic water containing bicarbonates from the blood, allowing selective treatment of the bicarbonate-rich fraction without exposing all blood components to potentially damaging procedures. This segmentation enables efficient CO2 removal while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasmatic water fraction containing the majority of bicarbonates is extracted from the whole blood using a hemofilter. This extracted fraction is then subjected to CO2 removal procedures (heating, acidification, or diffusion) that would be harmful to red cells, white cells, and platelets if applied to whole blood. The treated plasmatic water is subsequently reinfused, achieving high CO2 removal efficiency while preserving blood component integrity.
2Productivity
If arterial blood is used for CO2 removal, then complete CO2 removal is achieved, but arterial access risks and ischemia risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hemofilter acts as an intermediary device that enables selective separation of plasmatic water from venous blood. This intermediary mechanism allows the system to achieve arterial-level CO2 removal efficiency without requiring arterial access. The plasmatic water is processed to remove bicarbonates, and the treated fluid is reinfused, eliminating the need for invasive arterial catheterization while maintaining high CO2 removal capability.
3Productivity
If high blood flow is used for complete CO2 removal, then CO2 removal efficiency is improved, but device complexity and invasiveness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the approach parameter from increasing blood flow rate to increasing the concentration of bicarbonates in the treated fraction. By separating and concentrating the plasmatic water (which contains high percentage of bicarbonates) and treating only this fraction, the system achieves complete CO2 removal with low overall blood flow rates. This parameter change eliminates the need for large catheters and complex high-flow systems while maintaining high removal 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
Enables near-complete removal of metabolic CO2 production with reduced blood flow and a single catheter, enhancing safety and reducing side effects, while maintaining low costs and improving lung relief from waste product exchange.
Implementation Method 1
a hemofilter, provided with means for separating the plasmatic water from the blood
Implementation Method 2
The plasmatic water can be easily separated from blood with a standard hemofilter
Implementation Method 3
the gas exchange, that usually occurs in the Alveoli, is obtained by means of a circuit in which the patient's blood meets a supplied oxygen flow in a component usually called oxygenator; in said component, for the differences in relative partial pressures, oxygen reaches the red cells in the blood stream and the CO2, that comes from the metabolic production, goes out
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a system for the treatment of blood, in particular a highly efficient system for the safe removal of CO2 and bicarbonates from the blood in a blood circuit connected to a patient by means of a venous-venous connection having at least an inlet or tube line (1) for receiving a flow of blood for CO2 (or bicarbonate) removal and an outlet or tube line (9) for the blood deprived of CO2 (or bicarbonate); the system comprises: - an hemofilter (or dialyzer) (3), disposed between said inlet (1) and said outlet (9), and provided with means for separating the plasmatic water from the blood and for conveying the same plasmatic water thru a second tube line (4); - a device (6) for removing bicarbonates and/or CO2, disposed and acting on said second tube line (4), in a position which is downstream of said hemofilter (3) and upstream of a third tube line (8) which brings back the treated plasmatic water in the blood circuit downstream of said hemofilter (3).