Cassette Integrated Filter Bypass Leukoreduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fluid treatment systems for blood separation in apheresis procedures require multiple tubing segments and lack an efficient mechanism for leukoreduction, which can lead to impurities in blood components, necessitating the development of a system that integrates a filter and bypass for effective leukocyte removal.
Innovation Solution
A cassette with defined passageways and a filter receptacle containing a leukoreduction filter medium, where a bypass passageway allows fluid to bypass the filter medium, reducing the number of tubing segments and ensuring continuous fluid flow by avoiding filter saturation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a leukoreduction filter is integrated into the cassette, then leukocyte removal efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter receptacle is integrated directly into the cassette body, merging the filtration function with the fluid handling cassette. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate external filter assemblies and multiple tubing connections, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective leukocyte removal capability through the integrated filter medium.
2Reliability
If a bypass passageway is added to the cassette, then fluid flow reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cassette is segmented into distinct functional zones including the filter receptacle and bypass passageway. This segmentation allows independent control of filtration and bypass functions, enabling the system to switch between filtered flow and bypass flow as needed, thereby ensuring continuous reliable fluid flow while organizing complexity into manageable functional segments.
3Ease of operation
If multiple tubing segments are used in current systems, then fluid flow control is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple tubing functions are merged into integrated passageways within the cassette structure. The defined passageways incorporate inlet ports, outlet ports, filter receptacles, and bypass routes into a single unified component, eliminating the need for multiple separate tubing segments and their associated connections, thereby significantly improving ease of operation while reducing tubing configuration complexity.
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 integrated leukoreduction filter and bypass mechanism effectively reduces leukocyte presence in blood components, minimizing impurities and maintaining fluid flow efficiency, thereby enhancing the quality of blood components for transfusion or storage.
Implementation Method 1
Such leukoreduction may be accomplished by flowing the blood components through a leukoreduction filter (also called a leukofilter) that captures white blood cells by requiring passage of the component through a filter medium that retains the undesired leukocytes and other components/aggregates while allowing the remaining desirable components to pass through the medium
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid processing system for controlling fluid flow comprising a cassette comprising defined passageways within a first portion of the cassette and a filter receptacle within a second portion of the cassette, an inlet port in communication with one or more of the defined passageways and an inlet side of the filter receptacle, an outlet port in communication with an outlet side of the filter receptacle, and a filter medium disposed within the filter receptacle between the inlet port and outlet port.