A blood clot removal device for removing blood clots from the vascular system of a patient is implantable in the patient's body. The blood clot removal device comprises a blood flow passageway to be connected to the patient's vascular system to allow circulation of the patient's blood through the blood flow passageway, a filter provided in the blood flow passageway for collecting blood clots occurring in the blood flowing through the blood flow passageway, and a cleaning device for moving blood clots collected by the filter out of the blood flow passageway. By means of such blood clot removal device, the risk of blood clots reaching sensitive areas of the patient's body, such as the brain, is reduced.

In accordance with certain techniques for filtering contaminated air, the air is sucked through at least one filter element, which is exchangeably held in a filter-holding device of an air duct system. In order to enable continuous filtering without process interruption, a plurality of filter elements is stored in the filter-holding device in such a way that, when one of the filter elements is removed, the soiled filter element is automatically replaced in the air duct system. For this purpose, the filter-holding device has a plurality of filter chambers, which are arranged relative to one another in such a way that, in the event of an exchange, the filter element can be slidingly guided from one of the filter chambers into another filter chamber.

A method for removing particles from a bodily fluid in a patient with a filtering device, the filtering device being implantable in the patient's body and the method comprising the steps: pass bodily fluid of the patient through a tube forming a main fluid, filtering the bodily fluid passing through said main fluid passageway with a filter connected to the tube, collecting particles in the bodily fluid to be removed passing through the tube, and cleaning the filter with a filter cleaning device by removing particles collected by the filter out of the fluid passageway.

A method for controlling and implanting an implantable drainage device is provided. The device is adapted to move body fluid from one part of the body of a patient to another part of the body. The invention also extends to a filter adapted to filter particles from a drained fluid.

The present invention relates to an implantable cassette for holding filters. The cassette is provided with a revolving compartment having a plurality of segments. Each segment is for holding a filter for filtering blood. Also provided is attachment means for attaching the cassette to a blood flow passageway to thereby allow blood to flow through a first segment of the revolving compartment. An operation device for revolving the revolving compartment, to thereby move the first segment out of the blood flow passageway, is also provided.

The invention concerns a method for the removal of a part (41, 55) of a particle collecting device (40, 41, 42, 55), which part is loaded with at least highly flammable particles (51). The part (41, 55) is removed from a process gas cleaning device (100) of an additive manufacturing device (1) by means of the following steps. An inert gas (50, 250) which substantially encloses the particles (51) is provided. The part (41, 55) of the particle collecting device (40, 41, 42, 55), is removed from the process gas cleaning device (100), wherein the particles (51) remain enclosed in the inert gas (50, 250).

The invention concerns a method for the removal of a part (41, 55) of a particle collecting device (40, 41, 42, 55), which part is loaded with at least highly flammable particles (51). The part (41, 55) is removed from a process gas cleaning device (100) of an additive manufacturing device (1) by means of the following steps. An inert gas (50, 250) which substantially encloses the particles (51) is provided. The part (41, 55) of the particle collecting device (40, 41, 42, 55), is removed from the process gas cleaning device (100), wherein the particles (51) remain enclosed in the inert gas (50, 250).

A blood clot removal device for removing blood clots from the vascular system of a patient is implantable in the patient's body. The blood clot removal device comprises a blood flow passageway to be connected to the patient's vascular system to allow circulation of the patient's blood through the blood flow passageway, a filter provided in the blood flow passageway for collecting blood clots occurring in the blood flowing through the blood flow passageway, and a cleaning device for moving blood clots collected by the filter out of the blood flow passageway. By means of such blood clot removal device, the risk of blood clots reaching sensitive areas of the patient's body, such as the brain, is reduced.

A filtration unit (1) comprising a support (10) arranged to receive a plurality of filter cartridges (11,11), the support configured to allow a displacement of the cartridges between a working position (70), in which a first filter cartridge (11) is arranged with own inlet/outlet apertures (71,71) in communication with a fluid inlet and outlet line portions (7,8), respectively, and at least one standby position (75) configured for receiving a respective second filter cartridge (11), an exchange mechanism (12) configured for causing the displacement of the cartridges between the at least one standby position and the working position, a differential pressure sensor (80) configured for measuring a pressure drop through first filter cartridge arranged in the working position and for generating a differential pressure signal (286) responsive to the pressure drop, a control unit (90) configured for receiving the differential pressure signal (86) and for providing an actuation signal (287) of the exchange mechanism, a program means resident in the control unit (90) and configured for generating the actuation signal (287) when the differential pressure signal indicates a pressure drop value exceeding a predetermined lower threshold value. This way, it is possible to arrange a clean filter cartridge in the at least one standby position, ready to be displaced to the working position in replacement of first filter cartridge, and the at least one second clean filter cartridge is transferred to the working position upon exceeding the differential pressure threshold value, remarkably limiting filter maintenance time and costs in a complex fluid distribution network.

An implantable drainage device is provided. The device is adapted to move body fluid from one part of the body of a patient to another part of the body. The invention also extends to a filter adapted to filter particles from a drained fluid.