A sheet-shaped hollow fiber membrane module includes a casing having a flat shape, the casing including a supply port and a discharge port, and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes accommodated inside the casing. The casing includes a plurality of the supply ports on one main surface of the casing and a plurality of the discharge ports on the other main surface of the casing, at least one of the plurality of the supply ports is closable, and at least one of the plurality of the discharge ports is closable. Each of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes includes a first opening at one end of the hollow fiber membrane and a second opening at the other end of the hollow fiber membrane, and the first opening and the second opening communicate with an outside of the casing and do not communicate with an inside of the casing.

Disclosed is a submerged-type compact filtration apparatus of minimized footprint which can be installed easily, maintained safely and conveniently, and operated with substantially reduced energy. The submerged-type filtration apparatus of the invention comprises a filtration bath disposed over a ground; a filtration membrane cassette configured to be installed in the filtration bath; and a first guide disposed in the filtration bath and configured to guide the filtration membrane cassette when the filtration membrane cassette is inserted into the filtration bath so as to be installed therein.

The present invention relates to a gas exchange unit for use in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or extracorporeal live support (ECLS) according to a method for producing such a gas exchange unit as well as a kit with a gas exchange unit and a humidifying and heating device.

A wound care system comprising a single-layer arrangement of mutually parallel capillary membranes with a porous, semi-permeable wall, a lumen and at least one open end. The capillary membranes are connected to one another by connection elements to form a mat and are held at a distance from one another by the connection elements.

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.

A bioreactor is provided which contains cells capable of producing cytokine inhibitors in response to cytokines, in a manner regulated by the local or systemic milieu of an individual patient and predicted by mechanistic computational simulations. The bioreactor transfers the cytokine inhibitors to a patient in need of control of the inflammation process as part of a disease or condition in the patient, such as sepsis, trauma, traumatic brain injury, or wound healing. Related methods also are provided.

An extracorporeal blood treatment system including a gas exchange module operatively associated with a gas supply unit and optional pump for removing CO.sub.2 from blood. The gas exchange module includes a plurality of short conduits that are uniquely configured and arranged in a gas exchange mat to for efficient CO.sub.2 diffusion under conditions of low blood flow.

An object of the present invention is to provide a filter unit in which hollow fiber membranes can be effectively cleaned. A filter unit of the present invention includes a plurality of filtration modules and one or more air bubble generation modules that supply bubbles to the filtration modules from below. Each filtration modules includes a plurality of hollow fiber membranes extending in an up-down direction and arranged side by side in a curtain shape and which are arranged at intervals. The one or more air bubble generation modules supply coarse bubbles to the filtration modules.

Systems and methods for removing carbon monoxide from whole blood are provided. In one configuration, an extracorporeal phototherapy system includes an oxygenator and a light source configured to output light and arranged to emit the light output by the light source onto at least one surface of the oxygenator. The oxygenator includes a plurality of membrane layers each having a plurality of microporous hollow fiber membranes. The plurality of microporous hollow fiber membranes each include an external surface and an internal channel. Each of the plurality of membrane layers may be rotationally offset with respect to an adjacent layer. The oxygenator further includes a gas inlet port in fluid communication with a first end of the internal channels, a gas outlet port in fluid communication a second end of the internal channels, a blood inlet port, and a blood outlet port.

A hollow fiber membrane restraining apparatus comprising: first and second horizontal wall parts having slits therethrough, wherein the inner walls face one another; and two vertical wall parts erected facing both end parts of the first horizontal wall parts in a horizontal axis direction, wherein a mat stacking part is formed and stacked on the first horizontal wall part such that end parts of mats on which hollow fiber membranes are arranged in a row can be aligned, and the second horizontal wall part is locked onto the vertical wall parts by pushing and restraining the mat stacking part; a header apparatus comprising the same; a hollow fiber membrane module; and a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module are provided.