INTEGRAL BLOOD HEAT AND COMPONENT EXCHANGE DEVICE AND TWO FLOW PATH MEMBRANE ...

United States Patent

Ingenito et al.

Hi] 3,839,204 [45] Oct. 1, 1974

[54]

[75]

[22] [21]

INTEGRAL BLOOD HEAT AND COMPONENT EXCHANGE DEVICE AND TWO FLOW PATH MEMBRANE BLOOD GAS EXCHANGER

Inventors: Donald R. Ingenito, Scotia; Wilfred
P. Mathewson, Schenectady; David
M. Ryon, Albany; Gunnar E.
Walmet, Schenectady, all of N.Y.

[73] Assignee: General Electric Company,

Milwaukee, Wis.

A device for oxygenating or dialyzing blood has elementary units comprising a heat exchanger closecoupled to a component exchanger comprising one or more frames having rectangular openings and a gas permeable membrane on each face. In the heat exchanger element, heat is transferred via conduction from a source or to a sink through a membrane to or from a flowing film of blood. Two confronting membranes define a thin passageway for blood in the component exchanger element and remote sides of the membranes confront a second passageway in which another fluid such as dialysate or oxygen enriched gas flows, the passageway containing an open support structure. The support structure distributes the gas uniformly and supports the membranes when the space between them is pressurized with blood. In preferred embodiments, there are provided two path thin film flows through the heat exchanger. In the gas exchanger, thermoplastically formed protuberances project integrally from the membranes into the blood space for precisely defining the blood film thickness. Also provided is a blood component exchanger including an open support structure shaped to provide two path thin film flows therethrough.

24 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures