The disclosure relates to devices and methods for extracorporeal conditioning of blood. Extracorporeal blood oxygenators and blood oxygenator components, such as conditioning modules, are described. An extracorporeal blood oxygenator includes a conditioning module having an external frame, an inlet cover, an outlet cover, and an internal chamber. A fiber assembly is disposed within the internal chamber and a potting material on the fiber assembly creates a circumferential seal that defines a passageway through the fiber assembly having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. A fluid inlet is in fluid communication with the passageway, has a lumen that extends along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the fiber assembly, and has an internal curvilinear surface adjacent the fiber assembly. A fluid outlet on the opposite side of the fiber assembly also has a lumen that extends along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the fiber assembly.

A total artificial heart for a mammalian cardiovascular system is provided. The total artificial heart has a pump casing including an outer housing and an integral hollow support shaft extending therethrough. The casing defines a first flow path within the outer housing about an exterior of the hollow support shaft and a separate second flow path extending within the hollow support shaft. An annular impeller is housed within the outer housing of the casing for rotation about the hollow support shaft to provide a centrifugal flow pump in the first flow path, and an axial flow impeller is housed within the hollow support shaft of the casing for forming an axial flow pump in the second flow path.

A controller for a life support device, the controller having a control section in charge of sequence control, the controller includes: a first interface section transmitting an output state of the control section to each part in the life support device, and transmitting an output state of each part in the life support device to the control section; and a second interface section setting an output state in response to detection of a predetermined data sequence output from the control section, and maintaining the set output state until the second interface section receives the predetermined data sequence anew. A part of the life support device is driven via the second interface section.

The present invention relates to pumps, particularly a compact, linear, positive displacement pump that can be used in several applications including medical and non-medical devices. In particular, the invention is related to linear, positive displacement compression blood pumps (either intracorporeal or extracorporeal) that provide systemic circulatory stability by maintaining a steady average blood pressure. In some embodiments, the invention relates to perfusion pumps, infusion pumps, pumps used for ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenators) and bioreactor pumps.

The invention relates to an oxygenator for gas exchange in the bloodstream, comprising a housing, a first interior chamber for blood arranged in the housing, a second interior chamber for gas arranged in the housing, and a membrane separating the interior chambers. According to the invention, the membrane has a silicone layer and a reinforcing structure reinforcing the silicone layer.

The present invention relates. to methods and devices for exchanging gas molecules between a gaseous medium and a liquid medium which are particularly suited for applications such as blood oxygenation in heart-lung machines and gas scrubbing. The method of the invention comprises the following steps: a) providing a liquid medium having a surface tension in the range of from 0.02 N/m to 0.06 N/m, b) providing a gaseous medium, c) providing a membrane on an interface between the liquid medium and the gaseous medium, wherein the membrane comprises i) a carrier substrate with through-going openings having a mean diameter in the range from 0.2 ?.Math.? to 200 ??.Math., and ii) a porous superamphiphobic coating layer with openings having a mean diameter in the range from 0.1 ?m to 10 ?m, which is provided at least on the substrate surface facing the liquid medium, wherein either the liquid medium or the gaseous medium, preferably the gaseous medium, comprises at least one target gas to be transferred and said membrane is permeable for the at least one gas to be transferred and not permeable for the liquid medium due to the super-amphiphobic properties of the membrane surface facing the liquid medium with respect to said liquid medium, d) contacting the gaseous medium with the liquid medium via said superamphiphobic layer for a sufficient time to enrich the liquid or gaseous target medium with the at least one gas to be transferred.

A blood gas analysis method (100) is provided for determining the partial pressure of oxygen of arterial blood exiting an oxygenator, wherein the oxygenator generates arterial blood by exposing venous blood to an oxygenation gas and releases excess oxygenation gas as exhaust gas. The method (100) comprises a step (140) of determining an estimate of the partial pressure of oxygen in the exhaust gas, a step (150) of determining the blood oxygen uptake in the oxygenator, and a step (160) of determining the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood by adjusting the estimate using the blood oxygen uptake value. Used in a clinical setting, the method (100) allows a more accurate output of the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood to be provided, which facilitates oxygenator operation.

A highly reliable circulation apparatus promptly detects an abnormal state of a status value related to blood flowing in a circulation circuit with no particular operation performed. As an extracorporeal circulation mode starts, a user operates a pump first and waits until a flow rate is stabilized. Then, when the flow rate is stabilized, a predetermined value is added to or subtracted from the stabilized flow rate so as to set two threshold values which regulate an upper end and a lower end of a permissible state range. Then, it is monitored whether or not the flow rate is within the permissible state range regulated by the threshold values, and when the flow rate deviates from the permissible state range, an alarm is issued for notification.

An artificial lung is provided having a plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes for gas exchange, in which the hollow fiber membranes have outer surfaces, inner surfaces forming lumens, and opening portions through which the outer surfaces communicate with the inner surfaces, any one of the outer surfaces and the inner surfaces is coated with a colloidal solution of an antithrombotic material containing a polymer as a main component, and an average particle size of the colloid is at least 1.5 times a diameter of the opening portions of the hollow fiber membranes. An artificial lung is provided that can effectively suppress leakage of blood plasma components after blood circulation (blood plasma leakage).

An artificial lung is provided that includes a plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes for gas exchange comprising a hydrophobic polymer material, wherein the hollow fiber membranes have inner surfaces forming lumens and outer surfaces, and wherein at least one of the inner surfaces or the outer surfaces is coated with a polymer-containing solution that has a surface tension of 40 to 55 dyn/cm and that contains a solvent and a polymer having a structural unit represented by Formula (I):

##STR00001##

wherein in Formula (I), R.sup.3 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, R.sup.1 represents an alkylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R.sup.2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.