Oscillating Fiber Bundle Lung Assist Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for acute and chronic lung diseases, such as mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, are short-term and pose challenges for long-term ambulation and rehabilitation, with lung transplant being the only viable option but having lengthy wait times, necessitating a long-term ambulatory support device that can replace these methods.
Innovation Solution
An extracorporeal lung assist system featuring a fiber bundle housing with hollow gas-permeable fibers that oscillate to enhance gas exchange between blood and a sweep gas, minimizing hemolysis and increasing efficiency, allowing for ambulation and reducing wait list mortality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If conventional mechanical ventilation or ECMO is used for short-term lung support, then immediate life support is achieved, but long-term ambulation and rehabilitation are hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical ventilation systems and ECMO with a membrane oxygenator device that uses gas diffusion through hollow fibers. This substitution enables a less invasive approach that allows patients to ambulate and rehabilitate while receiving long-term lung support, resolving the contradiction between duration of support and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If lung transplant is performed as the only viable long-term treatment, then long-term lung function is restored, but wait times of several months result in high mortality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a preliminary lung support device that can be deployed immediately to stabilize patients waiting for transplant. This preliminary action bridges the critical wait list period, providing sufficient time for transplant evaluation and surgery while maintaining patient stability, thereby reducing wait list mortality.
3Productivity
If fiber bundle oscillation is implemented to enhance gas exchange, then oxygenation efficiency increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs mechanical oscillation of the fiber bundle to enhance gas exchange efficiency. The actuator imparts oscillatory motion to the hollow fiber bundle, creating turbulence that improves mass transfer between blood and gas phases. This mechanical vibration approach achieves high productivity while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
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 system achieves significant gas exchange enhancement with minimal hemolysis, providing effective long-term support for lung function, reducing wait list mortality by allowing for ambulation and potentially bridging recovery or transplant periods.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of hollow gas permeable fibers may, for example, be adapted to permit diffusion of gas between blood and an interior of the plurality of hollow gas permeable fibers
Implementation Method 2
The oscillatory motion of the fiber bundle may, for example, include at least one of linear oscillatory motion or rotational/torsional oscillatory motion
Data Source
AI summary
An extracorporeal system for lung assist includes a system housing, which includes a blood flow inlet and a blood flow outlet and a fiber bundle housing movably positioned within the system housing. The fiber bundle housing includes a gas inlet and a gas outlet. A fiber bundle is in operative connection with the fiber bundle housing. The fiber bundle includes a plurality of hollow gas permeable fibers, wherein lumens of the plurality of hollow gas fibers are in fluid connection with the gas inlet at a first end thereof and in fluid connection with the gas outlet as a second end thereof. The system further includes an actuator to impart oscillatory motion to the fiber bundle housing and thereby to the fiber bundle.