A filter and a device including the filter may include a filter and a plurality of pores arranged two-dimensionally on the filter. The plurality of pores may include a plurality of first pores having a longer structure in a certain direction and a plurality of second pores having a longer structure in a direction different from that of the first pore. The first and second pores may have a two-dimensional arrangement in order to suppress or prevent the occurrence of cracks in the filter due to stress.

A blood filtration system can reduce the amount of plasma constituents (e.g., water and/or electrolytes) in the blood of the patient, and accordingly increase the hematocrit value of the patient. The blood filtration system (e.g., a controller, or the like) can determine a hematocrit value of a patient. The blood filtration system can determine a venous pressure of vasculature of a patient. The blood filtration system can compensate for pressure head in a component of a blood circuit (e.g., a withdrawal line of a catheter), for example to improve the accuracy of the venous pressure determination. The blood filtration system can determine one or more resistance characteristics of a blood circuit for the blood filtration system. The resistance characteristics can correspond to a resistance to a flow of blood through a component of the blood circuit.

A fluid filtration system comprising a cross-flow filter is arranged to permit a first pump to recirculate part of the retentate of the filter to the inlet of the cross-flow filter and a second pump to return part of the permeate to the inlet of the cross-flow filter. A third pump is configured supply source fluid to the inlet of the filter. The flow path between the second pump and the cross-flow filter inlet may include an adsorption filter that may selectively remove contaminants, toxins, or pathogens in the permeate. A controller may control the first, second and third pumps to provide predetermined flow ratios among the fluid flow paths of the system in order to achieve a desired filtration level. This system may be applicable to the removal of harmful substances from blood, by first separating the plasma from the blood and then removing harmful substances from the plasma.

The present invention discloses a microstructured discrimination device for separating hydrophobic-hydrophilic fluidic composites comprising particulate and/or fluids in a fluid flow. The discrimination is the result of surface energy gradients obtained by physically varying a textured surface and/or by varying surface chemical properties, both of which are spatially graded. Such surfaces discriminate and spatially separate particulate and/or fluids without external energy input. The device of the present invention comprises a platform having bifurcating microchannels arranged radially. The lumenal surfaces of the microchannels may have a surface energy gradient created by varying the periodicity of hierarchically arranged microstructures along a dimension. The surface energy gradient is varied in two regions. In one pre-bifurcation region the surface energy gradient generates a fluid flow. In the other post-bifurcation region, there is a difference in surface energy proximal to the bifurcation such that different flow fractions are divided into separate channels in response to different surface energy gradients in each of the post-bifurcation channels. Accordingly, fluids of different hydrophobicity and/or particulate of different hydrophobicity are driven into separate channels by a global minimization of the fluid system energy.

A blood treatment filter comprising a filter element, an inlet-side flexible container and an outlet-side flexible container, an inlet port, and a tubular outlet port, further comprises: an outlet-side frame sheet disposed between the filter element and the outlet-side flexible container; a first seal portion provided by sealing at least the filter element and the outlet-side frame sheet in a belt-shaped manner; and an annular second seal portion provided to surround the first seal portion, wherein on an outlet side of the filter element, a valley portion is formed at the first seal portion, the outlet port includes a protruding portion that protrudes to an inside of the container, and the protruding portion is provided with an opening at least a part of which overlaps with the first seal portion and which can communicate with a gap region formed by the valley portion.

A filter and a device including the filter may include a filter and a plurality of pores arranged two-dimensionally on the filter. The plurality of pores may include a plurality of first pores having a longer structure in a certain direction and a plurality of second pores having a longer structure in a direction different from that of the first pore. The first and second pores may have a two-dimensional arrangement in order to suppress or prevent the occurrence of cracks in the filter due to stress.

Provided is a blood component sampling cassette which can be efficiently manufactured at low cost compared to a conventional cassette, a method for manufacturing the blood component sampling cassette, a blood sampling circuit set and a blood component sampling system. The blood component sampling cassette includes a cassette main body having a plurality of flow paths including an introduction line, a blood component transfer line and a retransfusion line. The cassette main body includes a first sheet and a second sheet which are formed of a soft material compatible with autoclave sterilization. The first sheet and the second sheet are overlaid in a thickness direction and bonded to each other. A plurality of flow paths is formed between the first sheet and the second sheet.

A blood isolation and extraction method includes: providing a predetermined amount of blood; utilizing a platelet filter unit to filter the predetermined amount of blood to generate a filtered blood; utilizing a plasma separation unit to divide the filtered blood into a plasma layer and a blood cell layer for separating blood cells from blood plasma; and extracting the blood plasma from the plasma layer and the blood cells from the blood cell layer. In another embodiment, the blood isolation and extraction method further includes: providing a platelet-washing unit to wash the platelet filter unit with a solution to produce a platelet solution; and mixing the platelet solution with the blood plasma to produce a platelet and plasma mixed solution.

Systems and methods are provided for depleting platelets from blood. The system includes a multi-stage blood separation chamber in which blood is separated into red blood cells and platelet-rich plasma. The platelet-rich plasma is conveyed from a first stage of the chamber to a second stage, where it is separated into platelets and platelet-poor plasma. The platelet-poor plasma is conveyed out of the chamber while the platelets are allowed to accumulate in the second stage of the chamber. When a controller of the system has determined that the maximum chamber capacity of platelets has been accumulated in the second stage of the chamber, the platelets are conveyed out of the chamber to a waste container. The cycle of separating blood into its components, accumulating platelets in the chamber, and then flushing the platelets from the chamber is repeated until a target platelet concentration of the blood is achieved.

A method for filling and venting a device for extracorporeal blood treatment is disclosed, such as a patient module in a heart-lung machine, without attached patient. A filling liquid from a filling liquid container located higher than the device flows by gravity via a venous side of the system into a reservoir and flows onwards into a blood pump located at the lower end of the reservoir, wherein a first controllable valve (HC1) for a venting line of a filter is opened and, after the response of an upper filling level sensor in the reservoir, is closed. An upper level of the filter is positioned higher than the upper filling level sensor, and a start-stop motion of the blood pump is performed, as a result of which a stepped flooding of the filter is made providing for an advantageous de-airing of the device.