Treatment of cardiac tissue via an implantable heart treatment device is described. A device embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a substrate configured for implantation within a body; an electromagnetic signal generator coupled to the substrate and configured to generate one or more electric signals configured to stimulate one or more tissues of a heart; and an oxygenator coupled to the substrate and configured to supply one or more oxygenated molecules to one or more tissues of the heart, the oxygenator including a blood inlet portion, a blood outlet portion, and an oxygen exchange portion positioned between the blood inlet portion and the blood outlet portion, the oxygen exchange portion including a high surface area oxygen exchanger configured to transfer one or more oxygenated molecules from the high surface area oxygen exchanger to blood passing from the blood inlet portion to the blood outlet portion.

A gas exchange system may include an elongate member including a liquid circuit and configured to be inserted into a body lumen, and a gas exchanger in fluid communication with the elongate member. A gas transfer fluid may be disposed within the liquid circuit of the elongate member. The gas transfer fluid may be configured to absorb carbon dioxide from a body fluid disposed in the body lumen, and subsequently release the carbon dioxide in the gas exchanger.

Systems and methods utilize semipermeable nanotubes in conjunction with application of controlled electrical potentials across semipermeable nanotube walls allow selective transport of charged impurities (e.g., charged impurities, ions, etc.) from a fluid into these nanotubes. Impurities collected in these nanotubes can then be removed from the fluid, (e.g., blood) as a waste stream. A collection of semipermeable nanotubes each carrying a waste stream can be aggregated and merged into a ureter for excretion thereby providing an artificial kidney system. Sensors that detect/measure various impurities may be included in the system to feed information to a microprocessor to inform on concentrations of impurities, and thereby control electrical potentials applied to the system.

Systems and methods utilize semipermeable nanotubes in conjunction with application of controlled electrical potentials across semipermeable nanotube walls allow selective transport of charged impurities (e.g., charged impurities, ions, etc.) from a fluid into these nanotubes. Impurities collected in these nanotubes can then be removed from the fluid, (e.g., blood) as a waste stream. A collection of semipermeable nanotubes each carrying a waste stream can be aggregated and merged into a ureter for excretion thereby providing an artificial kidney system. Sensors that detect/measure various impurities may be included in the system to feed information to a microprocessor to inform on concentrations of impurities, and thereby control electrical potentials applied to the system.

Catheters for infusion of cardiovascular fluids into blood are disclosed. The cardiovascular fluid may, for example, comprise water highly supersaturated with a gas such as oxygen. Each catheter comprises one or more capillary tubings (or capillaries) through which a cardiovascular fluid flows. The distal end of each capillary is mounted (e.g., potted) preferably flush with an external surface of a catheter sidewall, while the proximal end of each capillary is in fluid communication with a cardiovascular fluid flowing through the lumen of the catheter. The combination of the catheter shape and the orientation of the distal end of each capillary relative to the longitudinal axis of the catheter provides control over the mixing pattern of the cardiovascular fluid with blood flowing within a vascular space such as an aorta.

A blood treatment method includes the steps of inducing flow of a patient's blood through a blood treatment device inlet and outlet in fluid connection to the circulatory system of the patient. Metastatic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) contained within patient blood is destroyed by passing a patient's blood over a bioreactor surface having attached or immobilized deoxyribonuclease 1 (DNase 1) enzyme. The blood treatment device which consists of a bioreactor containing immobilized DNase 1, enables continuous treatment of a patient's blood and increases the effective concentration of DNase 1 in a patient's bloodstream to convert metastasizing cancer DNA in blood into non-oncogenic nucleotide fragments in vivo without adding any chemicals to the blood of the patient.

Various types of a medical device are described which is used as an implantable renal replacement therapy (an implantable artificial kidney). This device removes toxins and excess water from blood of patients with kidney failure or end stage renal disease. Additionally, other configurations of the device can be used as an external (extracorporeal) device.

A dialysis device implantable in a patient for dialysis includes a filtration unit. The filtration unit includes at least one dialysis chamber for containing and/or circulating dialysate; and at least one blood chamber for containing and/or circulating blood of the patient, disposed on at least one dialysis chamber and being in communication with the at least one dialysis chamber. Each of the at least one dialysis chamber and the at least one blood chamber comprise at least one inlet for circulating fluid into and/or out of the at least one dialysis chamber and the at least one blood chamber. The at least one dialysis chamber and the at least one blood chamber are configured such that the blood in the at least one blood chamber and the dialysate in the at least one dialysis chamber operably interact with each other for dialysis.

A portable dialysis device that can be continuously worn in and/or on the body of a patient, with a blood chamber in which the patient's blood can be received, a hydraulic chamber which can be filled with a hydraulic fluid and which adjoins the blood chamber, an at least partially flexible delivery membrane which is arranged between the hydraulic chamber and the blood chamber and which, when the hydraulic chamber is filled with hydraulic fluid, is movable in the direction of the blood chamber in such a way as to cause a compression of the blood chamber and therefore an ejection of the blood located therein, a pump for controllable filling and/or emptying of the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic chamber, such that blood can in this way be conveyed into the blood chamber and/or out of the latter, a filter membrane which is arranged between the blood chamber and the hydraulic chamber and through which waste substances in the blood can be removed to the hydraulic fluid located in the hydraulic chamber, such that the hydraulic fluid serves at the same time as dialysate. Additionally, a method for operating a portable dialysis device.

Systems and methods utilize semipermeable nanotubes in conjunction with application of controlled electrical potentials across semipermeable nanotube walls allow selective transport of charged impurities (e.g., charged impurities, ions, etc.) from a fluid into these nanotubes. Impurities collected in these nanotubes can then be removed from the fluid, (e.g., blood) as a waste stream. A collection of semipermeable nanotubes each carrying a waste stream can be aggregated and merged into a ureter for excretion thereby providing an artificial kidney system. Sensors that detect/measure various impurities may be included in the system to feed information to a microprocessor to inform on concentrations of impurities, and thereby control electrical potentials applied to the system.