Venting system with a venting unit and a venting device set and method of operating a venting system

Abstract

A deaerating device set allows a priming circuit to be deaerated fully automatically using a deaerating unit and a priming control unit, a priming liquid container and preferably a priming pump or a priming compressor. A blood pump is operated in a pulsatile manner during the pumping of a priming fluid.

Claims

1. A venting system with a priming circulation, which comprises an oxygenator, a blood pump and connection tubes and is connected with a priming fluid container, which is connected to the priming circulation, wherein the priming circulation has a first air sensor arranged in the oxygenator, a second air sensor arranged in the connection tubes before the blood pump, and a priming control unit, wherein the first air sensor and the second air sensor are in connection with the priming control unit and the priming control unit is in connection with the blood pump, wherein the blood pump is a pulsatile pump and is in connection with the priming control unit in order, with the priming control unit, to operate the blood pump in such a pulsatile manner that air bubbles that are stuck in the tubing lines or the oxygenator are loosened and removed from the priming circulation, and wherein a priming pump, which is in connection with the priming control unit, is arranged between the priming fluid container and the priming circulation.

2. The venting system according to claim 1, wherein the priming circulation does not have a reservoir.

3. The venting system according to claim 1, wherein the priming circulation has no filter in the direction of flow between the oxygenator and the blood pump.

4. The venting system according to claim 1, wherein the priming fluid container is in connection with a priming compressor in order to build up a pressure in the priming fluid container.

5. The venting system according to claim 1, wherein the priming control unit is in connection with a priming compressor in order to regulate the priming compressor.

6. The venting system according to claim 1, wherein between the priming fluid container and the priming circulation a throughflow measuring unit is arranged which is in connection with the priming control unit.

7. The venting system according to claim 1, wherein the priming control unit comprises a memory.

8. The venting system according to claim 1, wherein the priming fluid container is in connection with the priming circulation by way of more than one tubing line.

9. A method of operating the venting system according to claim 1, wherein the blood pump is operated in a pulsatile manner during the pumping of a priming fluid.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the priming control unit controls the venting fully automatically.

Description

(1) Advantageous variants of embodiment are shown in the drawing and are explained below in more detail.

(2) Herein

(3) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a venting system with a priming pump,

(4) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a venting system with a priming compressor.

(5) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a venting system with an elevated priming fluid container,

(6) FIG. 4 schematically shows a venting system with two blood pumps and

(7) FIG. 5 schematically shows the course of the process of operating the venting system.

(8) The venting system 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a priming circulation 2 and a fluid container 3. The priming circulation 2 essentially consists of an oxygenator 4, a blood pump 5 and connection tubes 6. The priming fluid container 3 is connected to the priming circulation 2 via a tube 7.

(9) The priming circulation 2 has an air sensor 8 before the blood pump 5 in the direction of flow of the blood or the priming fluid, and a further air sensor 9 in an upper area of the oxygenator 4. These air sensors are connected to a priming control unit 10 which in turn is connected to the blood pump 5.

(10) In the first example of embodiment shown in FIG. 1 a priming pump 11 takes over the conveying of priming fluid from the priming fluid container 3 into the priming fluid circulation 2. This priming pump 11 is connected to the priming control unit 10.

(11) In the variant of embodiment shows in FIG. 2 the elements of the priming circuit 2 and the priming fluid container 3 are unchanged in comparison with the first variant of embodiment. However, in place of the priming pump 11 a priming compressor 12 is provided which is connected to the priming fluid container 3 and the priming control unit.

(12) A third variant, without a priming pump 11 and without a priming compressor 12, is shown in FIG. 3. In this example of embodiment the priming fluid container 3 is positioned above the priming circulation 2 so that the priming fluid flows downwards into the priming circulation 2. The other elements of the venting system are designed and arranged as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(13) In all three embodiment variants a throughflow control unit 13, which is connected to the priming control unit 10, can be arranged between the priming fluid container 3 and the priming circulation 2. This throughflow control unit 13 can also only be designed as a measuring device for pressure or volumetric flow in order to measure the throughflow between the priming fluid container 3 and the priming circulation 2 and preferably forward it to the priming control unit 10.

(14) The priming unit 10 comprises a memory 14 in order to store times for operating the blood pump 5 for example.

(15) It is particularly advantageous if the blood pump 5 is designed as a pulsatile blood pump and is controlled by the control unit 10.

(16) The elements of a venting system set are surrounded by dash-dotted line 15. This venting device set essentially comprises a priming fluid container 3 and a venting unit 16. The venting unit 16 has a housing 17 in which the priming control unit 10 with the memory 14 and a data processor 18 is arranged. The data processor 18 is connected with outlets 19, 20, 21 and 22 to the venting unit 16 in order to connect it to the air sensors 8 and 9 and the blood pump 5. The outlet 22 is for the connection with the priming pump 11 or the priming compressor 12. A further outlet 23 can be provided for a connection with the throughflow control unit 13.

(17) The layout of a venting device set 15 in connection with two blood pumps 5 and 5′ is shown in FIG. 4. The venting device set 15 has a connection tube 7 to a priming circulation 24 in which two optical sensors 8 and 8′ and two blood pumps 5 and 5′ are arranged. An oxygenator 4 in the priming circulation 24 is in connection with a gas supply 25, a blood gas analyser 26 and a heat exchanger 27. Two pressure sensors 28 and 29 monitor the flow of the priming fluid through the blood pumps 5 and 5′ before and after the oxygenator 4.

(18) The method of operating a venting system 1 is explained below with the aid of the example of embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

(19) FIG. 5 shows the individual process steps wherein the first four process steps, surrounded with a broken line 30, are carried out manually and the following process steps, surrounded with a broken line 31 can be carried out automatically.

(20) It starts with process stage 32 in which the priming fluid container, in the form of a priming bag for example, is connected to the venting unit 16 via the priming pump 11. In process step 33 the venting unit 16 is then connected to the tubing set, i.e. the venting unit is connected with the air sensors 8 and 9 of the blood pump 5 and the priming pump 11.

(21) In process step 34 the priming unit 10 in the venting unit 16 is then started. As a last manual step 35, which can also be carried out automatically, the priming pump 11 is started (in the example of embodiment shown in FIG. 2 the compressor 12 would be started).

(22) In process step 36 the priming circulation 2 is then filled with priming fluid from the priming fluid container 3 and thereby the oxygenator 4 is vented. In process 37 it is enquired whether the sensor 9 in the oxygenator 4 detects fluid. If it does not detect fluid, by way of process step 36 further priming fluid is pumped into the priming circulation 2.

(23) If the sensor 9 in the oxygenator detects priming fluid in process step 38 the priming pump 11 is stopped and as process step 39 the blood pump 5 in the circulation 2 is started and operated in a pulsatile manner. In process step 40 the blood pump 5 runs in pulsatile mode and conveys residual air into the oxygenator 4 from which the residual air can escape.

(24) In process step 41 the sensor 8 checks whether it detects air bubbles in the priming circulation 2. If air bubbles are detected it continues with process step 40 in which the blood pump 5 conveys the residual air to the oxygenator 4 in pulsatile operation. If in process step 41 the sensor 8 does not detect any air bubbles, in process step 42 the end of venting is initiated in that the blood pump 5 is stopped. The venting device set 15 can then be disconnected from the priming circulation 2.

(25) After connecting the venting device set 15 with the priming circulation 2 the priming circulation 2 can be vented fully automatically and when full venting is shown on the venting unit 16 the venting device set can be removed again from the priming circulation.

(26) As a priming fluid container 3 a priming fluid bag can be used which is renewed when it is empty. However, the container can also be a rigid container with an inlet and an outlet and possibly with an air equalisation line.