Extracorporeal Blood Filter Venting With Stepped Flooding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heart-lung machines require manual and semi-automatic methods for priming, which are labor-intensive, prone to errors, and not suitable for rapid deployment, especially in emergency situations, and often fail to detect air inclusions effectively.
Innovation Solution
A fully automatic venting system for heart-lung machines that allows for priming without operator intervention, using a control module with automatic hose clamps and electronics to manage the filling and venting process, including the use of gravity-fed filling and controlled pressure to purge air from components like blood pumps and arterial filters, without the need for mechanical rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual and semi-automatic methods are used for priming heart-lung machines, then the filling and venting process can be performed with existing equipment, but the procedure becomes labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs filling and venting operations without requiring manual intervention. The control module autonomously activates pumps, opens/closes clamps, and monitors the process, allowing the machine to prepare itself for operation
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operations (hand-clamping hoses, tilting components, visual air bubble detection) are replaced by an automated control system that uses electronic sensors, motorized clamps, and programmable logic to perform the same functions with higher precision and reliability
2Productivity
If manual interventions are used for venting components, then the procedure can be performed without specialized equipment, but it increases personnel costs and intervention time
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system performs filling and venting operations continuously without interruption. Multiple components are filled and vented simultaneously through coordinated pump operation and clamp control, eliminating the sequential manual process
Solution Approach 2:
The control system continuously monitors the filling and venting process using sensors to detect air bubbles, pressure changes, and flow rates. This feedback allows the system to automatically adjust pump speed, clamp position, and filling rate to optimize the venting process
3Reliability
If conventional manual venting methods are used, then the system can be prepared with simple procedures, but air inclusions may be overlooked and errors are difficult to document
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors continuously monitor for air bubbles in the blood circuit and provide feedback to the control system. The system automatically detects the presence of air inclusions and triggers alerts or corrective actions, ensuring complete air removal before patient connection
Solution Approach 2:
Visual inspection by operators is replaced by electronic sensors that automatically detect air bubbles. The control system logs all venting parameters, sensor readings, and operational status, creating an automatic documentation record of the entire procedure
4Ease of operation
If semi-automatic filling procedures are used, then some automation is achieved, but trained personnel are still required to perform manual interventions
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to perform all filling and venting operations autonomously once initiated. The control module automatically manages pump operation, clamp control, and process monitoring, requiring minimal operator intervention beyond starting the sequence
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 reliable, error-free, and rapid preparation of heart-lung machines for use, reducing personnel costs and time, while ensuring complete air removal from components, even during transport, and allows for documentation of the venting procedure.
Implementation Method 1
a filling liquid from a filling liquid container flows by gravity into a reservoir and into a blood pump
Implementation Method 2
venting by filling it, the filling procedure has to be carried out by experts
Data Source
AI summary
A method for filling and venting a device for extracorporeal blood treatment is disclosed, such as a patient module in a heart-lung machine, without attached patient. A filling liquid from a filling liquid container located higher than the device flows by gravity via a venous side of the system into a reservoir and flows onwards into a blood pump located at the lower end of the reservoir, wherein a first controllable valve (HC1) for a venting line of a filter is opened and, after the response of an upper filling level sensor in the reservoir, is closed. An upper level of the filter is positioned higher than the upper filling level sensor, and a start-stop motion of the blood pump is performed, as a result of which a stepped flooding of the filter is made providing for an advantageous de-airing of the device.