Excess water can be removed from blood by passing the blood through channels that are surrounded by nanotubes with spaces therebetween. Each channel is wide enough for blood to flow through, and the nanotubes are spaced close enough to each other to retain the blood within the channels. Gas passing through the spaces between the nanotubes outside the channels comes into contact with the blood at the outer boundaries of the channels, and the excess water in the blood evaporates into the gas. In other embodiments, an undesirable molecule (e.g., ammonia) can be removed from blood by passing the blood through channels that are surrounded by nanotubes with spaces therebetween. Gas passing through the spaces between the nanotubes outside the channels comes into contact with the blood at the outer boundaries of the channels, and the undesirable molecule in the blood diffuses into the gas.

A molecule can be removed from blood by passing the blood through channels that are surrounded by nanotubes with spaces therebetween. Each channel is wide enough for blood to flow through, and the nanotubes are spaced close enough to each other to retain the blood within the channels. Gas passing through the spaces between the nanotubes outside the channels comes into contact with the blood at the outer boundaries of the channels, and the molecule in the blood diffuses into the gas. In other embodiments, a molecule can be introduced into blood by passing the blood through channels that are surrounded by nanotubes with spaces therebetween. Gas that includes the molecule passes through the spaces between the nanotubes outside the channels. The gas comes into contact with the blood at the outer boundaries of the channels, and the molecule in the gas diffuses into the blood.

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.

An implantable or wearable kidney enclosure that is cylindrical, ovoid, or otherwise non-angular e.g., not rectangular or cuboid), having a circular or oval hemofilter that provides a blood flow pattern from an internal, central artery source radially outwards. Due to the efficient flow of the circular filter design, the enclosure can be made in a cylindrical low profile shape, resulting in a compact enclosure highly suitable for implantable and wearable dialysis applications.

Bioartificial ultrafiltration devices comprising a scaffold comprising a population of cells enclosed in a matrix and disposed adjacent a plurality of channels are provided. The population of cells provides molecules such as therapeutic molecules to a subject in need thereof and is supported by the nutrients filtered in an ultrafiltrate from the blood of the subject. The plurality of channels in the scaffold facilitate the transportation of the ultrafiltrate and exchange of molecules between the ultrafiltrate and the population of cells.

Disclosed are apparatus and methods for blood and other biological fluid purification using a membrane with cell containing vascular channel systems and filtration channel systems. Also disclosed are methods of making the apparatus as well as methods of making membranes.

A fully implantable intracorporeal blood purifier for patients with impaired, missing, or normal kidneys overwhelmed by a myeloproliferative disorder such as polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, primary myelofibrosis, or chronic myelogenous leukemia. Functioning continuously or intermittently around the clock, the patient is spared the need to visit the clinic as frequently for treatment, and less severe renal dysfunction may allow the intervals between visits to be considerably extended if not eliminated. The intracorporeal blood purifier represents the extractive or negative component in a prosthetic disorder response system of which the positive component detects the need for and releases medication such as tyrosine-kinase inhibitorsimatinib, and interferon alfa-2b, and cooperates with the purifier to accomplish kidney functions not simply extractive, such as releasing hormones, calcitriol, sodium, and potassium into the blood, maintaining electrolyte, acid-base, and fluid balance, and furnishing small molecule amino acids and glucose by directly targeting the gut.

Described are means for the direct and continuous connection of a catheter to the lumen of any tubular anatomical structure, or ductus, without medically significant leakage. A port implanted at the body surface with piping to a periductal collar allows drug or radionuclide delivery that bypasses the upstream lumen. The port allows injection, infusion, aspiration, or attachment of an automatic ambulatory pump. A superparamagnetic nanoparticle carrier-bound drug, for example, can be introduced into the lumen to pass downstream until the particles, with or without the drug still bound, are drawn into the lumen wall by a magnetized jacket surrounding the ductus. Such constitutes a method of drug targeting whereby a segment of a vessel or the territory supplied by a branch of that segment can be circumscribed for exposure to the drug. A jacket with side-entry connector positioned in surrounding relation to a lesion requiring treatment can itself be magnetized.

Hemofilters for in vivo filtration of blood are disclosed. The hemofilters disclosed herein provide an optimal flow of blood through the filtration channels while maintaining a pressure gradient across the filtration channel walls to enhance filtration and minimize turbulence and stagnation of blood in the hemofilter.

An artificial kidney and its supportive device comprising a catheter having an internal semipermeable membrane tube to act as an artificial kidney. Said catheter comprising a proximal portion having a semipermeable membrane tube, a blood/infusion lumen, a dialysate lumen and side holes, while a distal portion having a dual septa port assembly. Said supportive device comprising a device house with its cover that covers its internal cavity that includes sorbent bags with different sizes and arrangement, a screen, buttons, set knobs, two contactless conductivity cells, bidirectional rotary pumps, rotary valves, pressure sensors, a slot for memory card, a temperature sensor, scales, an IV pole and a blood leak detector. A method comprising: inserting the catheter having an internal semipermeable membrane tube that acts as artificial kidney into a suitable vein or artery, then using the supportive device to supporting, facilitating, and controlling the operation of the artificial kidney and to managing the dialysate inflow and outflow to and from the dialysate lumen within the catheter and also to managing the blood inflow and outflow to and from the infusate/blood lumen within the catheter to be on opposite direction across the semipermeable membrane of the artificial kidney.