An oxygenator module for gas exchange between blood and a gas in an extracorporeal lung support system, with several layers of semipermeable, gas-perfusable hollow fibers, wherein the hollow fibers of one of the layers are oriented at an angle of rotation about a central longitudinal axis of the oxygenator module with respect to the hollow fibers of another one of the layers, and with a potting which extends along the central longitudinal axis and in which the hollow fibers are fixed, wherein the potting defines a cavity that extends along the central longitudinal axis and in which the hollow fibers are arranged and which is blood-perfusable in the direction of the central longitudinal axis, wherein the potting has an essentially circular inner sheath surface that limits the cavity radially outward; as well as a method for producing the oxygenator module.

An extracorporeal blood heating and cooling system that is connectable to an oxygenator of a cardiopulmonary bypass system, the heating and cooling system comprising: a heater-cooler unit; a coolant flow circuit that is configured to pass coolant through the heater-cooler unit and the oxygenator; and a cardioplegia coolant circuit that is configured to pass coolant through the heater-cooler unit and a cardioplegia heat exchanger; wherein when the heating and cooling system is in a purging mode, the coolant flow circuit and the cardioplegia coolant circuit contain temperature-controlled coolant having a trisodium phosphate concentration of about 1-35 millimole/liter; wherein when the heating and cooling system is in a coolant mode, the coolant flow circuit and the cardioplegia coolant circuit contain temperature-controlled coolant having a trisodium phosphate concentration of about 1-10 millimole/liter; and wherein when the heating and cooling system is in the coolant mode or the purging mode, a first and second plurality of coolant conduits within the oxygenator and the cardioplegia heat exchanger are capable of maintaining a trisodium phosphate concentration ratio across the wall of such coolant conduits of at least 100:1, from the interior to the exterior of each coolant conduit. Methods of purging and operating such extracorporeal blood heating and cooling systems are also disclosed.

A device for mass transfer between blood and a transfer medium, in particular a gas/gas mixture, includes a chamber through which blood can flow and in which a plurality of mass-permeable hollow fibers of at least one hollow fiber mat, in which the hollow fibers are held at a spacing by way of warp threads, are disposed in the form of a wound or folded hollow fiber package, wherein a transfer medium is able to flow through, and blood is able to flow around, the hollow fibers, and wherein the density of hollow fibers varies locally in the hollow fiber package in the cross-section perpendicular to length of the hollow fibers. Hollow fiber packages and methods of manufacturing thereof are provided in which the hollow fibers are held at a spacing by warp threads, in which the spacing between adjoining hollow fibers is locally increased, in particular compared to a predominantly equidistant spacing between the hollow fibers.

A highly portable advanced adult and pediatric compact ECLS system is based around an integrated pump-oxygenator. The system includes a central a blood inlet and flow path extending along a general longitudinal axis of the system; a pump housing defining a pump inlet in fluid communication with the central blood flow path; an impeller rotationally received within the area of the pump inlet, wherein the impeller is magnetically supported and magnetically driven; an array of hollow fiber membranes configured for gas transfer within the system for oxygenation of blood flowing across the hollow fiber membranes, wherein the membranes include a covalently-bonded heparin-based bioactive surface, and wherein the blood flow path extends from the impeller to a position to flow perpendicular over the array of hollow fiber membranes; and a blood outlet configured to receive blood flowing past the array of hollow fiber membranes.

A method for pumping and oxygenating blood includes receiving a flow of gas including oxygen into a gas inlet manifold via a gas inlet. The flow of gas is passed through the hollow fibers from the gas inlet manifold to a gas outlet manifold. The flow of gas is output from the gas outlet manifold via a gas outlet. An impeller is rotated to generate a flow of blood that flows over the hollow fibers. Oxygen from the flow of gas is transferred to the flow of blood through the hollow fibers. Carbon dioxide is transferred from the flow of blood to the flow of gas through the hollow fibers.

A centrifugal pump (10) includes a housing (26), an impeller (28) that is rotatably disposed in the housing (26), a shaft (62) that is provided at a center rotational axis of the impeller (28), and bearings members (70) that respectively and pivotally support the shaft ends (66). An elastic body (80) which is elastically deformable at least in an axial direction of the shaft (62) is provided between at least one of the bearings (70) and the housing (26) or at an intermediate portion of the shaft (62) in the axial direction. A tightening load exerted on the shaft and bearing members can be maintained in a predetermined range even when age-related deformation of the housing or other components occurs.

The methods disclosed herein relate to an improved tool incorporating platelet count into a multi-biomarker based outcome risk stratification model for evaluating mortality risk in pediatric patients having sepsis. The methods described here are useful for treating sepsis, for point of care clinical decision support, for stratifying septic shock patients based on baseline mortality risk, and for clinical trial design, among other uses.

A polysulfone-urethane copolymer is disclosed, which can be used as a membrane polymer, e.g., a matrix polymer, a pore forming agent, or both, while enhancing a membrane's blood compatibility. Methods are disclosed for forming the copolymer and incorporating the copolymer in membranes (e.g., spun hollow fibers, flat membranes) and other products.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for making extracorporeal blood circulation available, in particular a heart-lung machine, comprising a venous connection and an arterial connection, between which a blood reservoir, a blood pump and a bubble detector for the detection of air bubbles are provided, with, downstream of the bubble detector, an arterial line leading to the arterial connection via an arterial clamp and a bypass leading via a bypass clamp back into the blood reservoir which is connected to a pump extracting air from the blood reservoir. In addition, the present invention relates to a method of operating such an apparatus.

The present invention relates generally to a pulmonary assist device comprising a housing having tapered inlets and outlets to distribute blood evenly over a fiber bundle. The fiber bundle has a relatively low packing density to prevent the formation of clots. The invention is adapted to be used with a pump or without a pump, in which the heart supplies the necessary blood flow. Moreover, the device can be used as a single module or as multiple modules arranged in parallel.