Apparatus and methods for accomplishing fluid drainage and localized cooling of the central nervous system broadly encompassing an intrathecal catheter assembly accomplishing drainage and cooling, and a console apparatus that may contain control, cooling, and drainage subsystems, and use thereof.

A microfluidic photoreactor for treating excess bilirubin in blood, having: a microfluidic channel module; an illumination module comprising one or more illumination sources disposed about the microfluidic channel module and configured to illuminate blood passing through at least one microfluidic channel of the microfluidic channel module; and a heat exchanger module coupled to the at least one microfluidic channel module, wherein the heat exchanger module is configured to extract heat from the at least one microfluidic channel. A system including a microfluidic photoreactor and a method of treating excess bilirubin in blood.

A cooling element for use within a cooling device of a closed-circuit respirator, includes an element housing, which has a liquid-tight cap and is filled with a coolant, which has a melting point below 50° C., especially below 45° C., preferably below 40° C. A sensor element is arranged in contact with the coolant within the element housing such that the sensor element can be moved in a direction of the gravity acting on the sensor element in the liquid state of the coolant during the use of the closed-circuit respirator by a user of the closed-circuit respirator.

Dialysis systems including a water treatment unit preferably of the osmosis type, a drain line, and a heat exchanger are disclosed. A water supply line is connected to an outlet of the water treatment unit. The water supply line includes branch connections to which dialyzers are selectively fluid-coupled. Used-up dialysis fluid can be discharged from fluid-coupled dialyzers through the drain line. The heat exchanger, which is external to the dialyzers, connected on one side to the water supply line directly upstream of the branch connections and on the other side to the drain line.

A control system, for controlling a closed-circuit respirator breathing gas circuit, includes a temperature sensor, a temperature-reading unit and with a control unit. The temperature sensor is configured to send a temperature signal in the presence of a corresponding temperature polling. The temperature signal indicates the temperature currently present in an area surrounding the temperature sensor. The temperature-reading unit is arranged in the closed-circuit respirator at a spaced location from the breathing gas circuit and the temperature sensor, and is configured to trigger the temperature polling at the temperature sensor by sending a polling signal, and to receive the temperature signal sent by the temperature sensor. The control unit is signal connected to the temperature-reading unit and is configured to determine the temperature indicated by the temperature signal in the area surrounding the temperature sensor and to output a control signal as a function of this temperature.

Dialysis machines comprising a feed arrangement (170) to supply a dialysis fluid to a dialyzer (150) during dialysis treatment and a return arrangement (171) to remove the dialysis fluid from the dialyzer during dialysis treatment and forward it to an exit (129); a feed recirculation circuit (172) to allow a fluid of the feed arrangement to be re-circulated in a fluid loop path comprising, at least a portion of, the feed arrangement and the feed recirculation circuit and a return recirculation circuit (173) to allow a fluid of the return arrangement to re-circulate in an auxiliary fluid loop path comprising, at least a portion of, the return arrangement and the return recirculation circuit. A controller (160) configured to perform disinfection by re-circulating a disinfectant and/or a heated fluid through said fluid loop path and/or through said auxiliary fluid loop path. The dialysis machine (1) further comprises a feed forward arrangement (172) connected to the fluid loop path and arranged to enable a fluid of the feed arrangement (170) to be forwarded to the exit (129) by-passing the auxiliary fluid loop path.

An apparatus and method for providing heat exchange in the lungs of the mammal during partial liquid ventilation are provided. The apparatus and method can control delivery and removal of partial liquid ventilation to the lungs of a mammal by responding to pressure change in the lungs to minimize danger of causing barotrauma to the patient.

Heat treatment apparatus for inactivating viruses in blood includes a series of four tubing coils with connectors at the opposite ends of the series for connecting the tubing to a blood source and a blood destination, a microwave heating chamber arranged to receive the first coil of the series, a dwell chamber to receive the second coil of the series, a cooling chamber adapted to receive the third coil of the series, and a microwave reheating chamber to receive the fourth coil of the series, with the first, second, and fourth chambers employing microwave energy for heating the blood as it flows within the coils and providing a radiometer circuit for monitoring the temperatures of the blood in the first, second, and fourth coils to produce first, second, and fourth temperature signals in response thereto, which is responded to by a controller to control the energy producing means to impart a selected time/temperature profile to the blood flowing through the tubing and to deliver that blood at a selected delivery temperature.

The present invention relates to an apparatus comprising at least one multi-lumen tube, wherein the tube has a first group of lumens and a second group of lumens wherein the lumens of the second group are arranged around the lumen(s) of the first group, and wherein the lumen(s) of the first group serve the transportation of at least one first fluid, and wherein the lumens of the second group are filled with at least one functional fluid, wherein the apparatus furthermore comprises at least one actuator which is in communication with at least one of the second lumens and is configured such that at least one property of the functional fluid can be changed by means of the actuator.

A centrifugal pump includes a rotating shaft, a pump substrate, a housing and an impeller. The pump substrate has a driving unit configured to rotate the rotating shaft. The housing has an inlet and an outlet and forms a pump chamber with the pump substrate. A body fluid sucked from the inlet flows through the pump chamber. The impeller is housed in the pump chamber and is configured to use the rotating shaft as an axis. The pump substrate has a magnetism generating source. The rotating shaft protrudes into the pump chamber from the pump substrate, and is pivotally supported on the pump substrate. A magnetic fluid is disposed on at least one of spaces formed among the pump substrate, the rotating shaft, and the impeller.