Blood oxygenator

Claim 2

A BLOOD OXYGENATOR COMPRISING: A HOUSING MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR MIXING BLOOD AND OXYGEN TOGETHER TO FORM A FOAM AND FOR PUMPING THE FOAM THROUGH SAID OXYGENATOR, SAID MIXING AND PUMPING MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE BLOOD INLET PORT AT ONE END AND A BLOOD FOAM OUTLET AT THE OPPOSITE END, OXYGEN DIFFUSING MEANS WITHIN SAID MIXING AND PUMPING MEANS, SAID OXYGEN DIFFUSING MEANS HAVING AN OXYGEN INLET PORT AND HAVING AN OXYGEN OUTLET SPACED FROM EITHER END OF SAID MIXING AND PUMPING MEANS, SAID OXYGEN DIFFUSING MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING: MEANS AT SAID OXYGEN OUTLET FOR DISCHARGING OXYGEN INTO THE BLOOD IN SAID MIXING AND PUMPING MEANS IN THE FORM OF BUBBLES, AN ELONGATED CHAMBER WITHIN SAID HOUSING, THE WALLS OF SAID CHAMBER BEING LATERALLY SPACED FROM THE INTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID HOUSING, A. LATTICE BED COMPRISING A MULTIPLICITY OF HARD BEADS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE BEING TIGHTLY PACKED WITHIN AND SUBATANTIALLY FILLING SAID CHAMBER TO THEREBY PROVIDE A RELATIVELY LARGE COLLISION SURFACE AREA WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND A PLURALITY OF TORTUOUS PATHS THERETHROUGH, EACH OF WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN SAID CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER HAVING AN OUTLET AND HAVING AN INLET COUPLED TO SAID BLOOD FOAM OUTLET OF SAID MIXING AND PUMPING MEANS, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID LATTICE BED IN TIGHTLY PACKED CONFIGURATION WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, DEFOAMING MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING ADJACENT SAID OUTLET OF SAID CHAMBER, SAID BLOOD FOAM BEING SEPARATED INTO GASES SAID FLUID BLOOD WITHIN SAID DEFOAMING MEANS, FLUID BLOOD STORAGE MEANS BELOW AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID DEFOAMING MEANS, AND FLUID BLOOD OUTLET MEANS MOUNTED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID STORAGE MEANS,

Claim 3

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 and further comprising means located at the outlet of said chamber for diverting the oxygenated blood foam away from the top of said chamber and to said defoaming means.

Claim 4

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 and further comprising an exhaust port for exhausting carbon dioxide and excess oxygen from said oxygenator.

Claim 5

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 wherein said blood inlet port enters said mixing and pumping means at an angle relative to the axis of said elongated chamber to provide gentle swirling action to the blood.

Claim 6

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining said lattice bed in tightly packed configuration comprises a substantially rigid coarse mesh cloth at each end of said chamber confining said beads therein.

Claim 7

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining said lattice bed in tightly packed configuration comprises means forming a rigid bond between adjacent contacting beads within said chamber.

Claim 8

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 wherein said means for discharging oxygen into the blood in the form of bubbles comprises a fabric covering said oxygen outlet of said oxygen diffusing means, said fabric having a multiplicity of openings therethrough of substantially uniform size.

Claim 9

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 and further comprising safety valve means in said fluid blood outlet means operative to remain open only when there is fluid in said fluid blood storage means.

Claim 10

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 and further comprising means within said housing to adjust the blood temperature for reentry into a patient, said temperature adjusting means having an inlet and an outlet for temperature adjusting fluid to pass therethrough.

Claim 11

The oxygenator recited in claim 9 wherein said means for adjusting blood temperature is an annular cylindrical container surrounding said mixing and pumping means and wherein said fluid blood storage means is an annular cylindrical chamber surrounding said mixing and pumping means, said temperature adjusting means container being located within said fluid blood storage means chamber.

Claim 12

The oxygenator recited in claim 1 wherein said defoaming means comprises: multiple layers of cloth wherein each such layer is in confronting relationship and touches the next adjacent layer, said cloth being formed of a multiplicity of fibers, a first portion of said fibers having non-wetting characteristics relative to blood, and a second portion of said fibers having a lesser degree of non-wetting characteristics relative to blood than said first portion of said fibers.

Claim 13

The oxygenator recited in claim 11 wherein: said mixing and pumping means is elongated and has a longitudinal mid-point cross section which is substantially less than the cross section thereof at said outlet end; and said oxygen outlet of said oxygen diffusing means is located substantially at said longitudinal mid-point of said mixing and pumping means.

Claim 14

A blood oxygenator comprising: a housing; means within said housing for mixing blood and oxygen together to form a foam and for pumping the foam through said oxygenator, said mixing and pumping means having at least one blood inlet port at one end and a blood foam outlet at the opposite end; oxygen diffusing means within said mixing and pumping means, said oxygen diffusing means having an oxygen inlet port and having an oxygen outlet spaced from either end of said mixing and pumping means, said oxygen diffusing means further comprising: means at said oxygen outlet for discharging oxygen into the blood in saId mixing and pumping means in the form of bubbles; an elongated chamber within said housing, the walls of said chamber being laterally spaced from the interior surfaces of said housing; a lattice bed comprising a multiplicity of hard beads of substantially uniform size being tightly packed within and substantially filling said chamber to thereby provide a relatively large collision surface area within said chamber and a plurality of tortuous paths therethrough, said chamber having an outlet and having an inlet coupled to said blood foam outlet of said mixing and pumping means; means for maintaining said lattice bed in tightly packed configuration within said chamber; defoaming means within said housing adjacent said outlet of said chamber, said blood foam being separated into gases and fluid blood within said defoaming means, said defoaming means comprising: multiple layers of cloth wherein each such layer is in confronting relationship and touches the next adjacent layer, said cloth being formed of a multiplicity of fibers, a first portion of said fibers having non-wetting characteristics relative to blood, and a second portion of said fibers having a lesser degree of non-wetting characteristics relative to blood than said first portion of said fibers; fluid blood storage means below and in communication with said defoaming means; and fluid blood outlet means mounted in the bottom of said storage means.

Claim 15

A blood oxygenator comprising: a housing; means within said housing for mixing blood and oxygen together to form a foam and for pumping the foam through said oxygenator, said mixing and pumping means having at least one blood inlet port at one end and a blood foam outlet at the opposite end; oxygen diffusing means within said mixing and pumping means, said oxygen diffusing means having an oxygen inlet port and having an oxygen outlet spaced from either end of said mixing and pumping means, said oxygen diffusing means further comprising: means at said oxygen outlet for discharging oxygen into the blood in saId mixing and pumping means in the form of bubbles; an elongated chamber within said housing, the walls of said chamber being laterally spaced from the interior surfaces of said housing; a lattice bed comprising a multiplicity of hard beads of substantially uniform size being tightly packed within and substantially filling said chamber to thereby provide a relatively large collision surface area within said chamber and a plurality of tortuous paths therethrough, said chamber having an outlet and having an inlet coupled to said blood foam outlet of said mixing and pumping means; means for maintaining said lattice bed in tightly packed configuration within said chamber; defoaming means within said housing adjacent said outlet of said chamber, said blood foam being separated into gases and fluid blood within said defoaming means, said defoaming means comprising: multiple layers of cloth wherein each such layer is in confronting relationship and touches the next adjacent layer, said cloth being formed of a multiplicity of fibers, a first portion of said fibers having non-wetting characteristics relative to blood, and a second portion of said fibers having a lesser degree of non-wetting characteristics relative to blood than said first portion of said fibers; fluid blood storage means below and in communication with said defoaming means; and fluid blood outlet means mounted in the bottom of said storage means.

Claim 16

The oxygenator recited in claim 13 wherein said first portion of said fibers having non-wetting characteristics comprises first layers of said multiple layers of cloth, and said second portion of said fibers having a lesser degree of non-wetting characteristics comprises second layers of said multiple layers of cloth, one of said first layers of cloth being located between two adjacent confronting second layers of cloth in alternating fashion throughout said defoaming means.

Claim 17

The oxygenator recited in claim 13 wherein said multiple layers of cloth fully occupy the space between the walls of said chamber and the interior surfaces of said housing adjacent to the outlet end of said chamber.

Claim 18

The oxygenator recited in claim 13 wherein said non-wetting characteristics are provided in said first portion of said fibers by means of a coating of non-wetting material.

Claim 19

The oxygenator recited in claim 13 wherein each of said layers of cloth is woven wherein said first portion of said fibers having non-wetting characteristics are oriented in one direction and said second portion of said fibers having a lesser degree of non-wetting characteristics are cross woven with said first portion of said fibers.

Claim 20

The oxygenator recited in claim 17 wherein said first portion of said fibers having non-wetting characteristics are arranged to lie along an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said elongated chamber to permit efficient draining of the liquid from said blood foam by force of gravity.

Claim 21

The oxygenator recited in claim 13 wherein the non-wetting characteristics of said first portion of said fibers is inherent in said fibers, and the lesser degree of non-wetting characteristics of said second portion of said fibers is inherent in said fibers.

Claim 22

The oxygenator recited in claim 19 wherein: said first portion of said fibers having non-wetting characteristics relative to blood is a member of the group consisting of glass and polycarbonates; and said second portion of said fibers having a lesser degree of non-wetting characteristics relative to blood is a member of the group consisting of nylon and polytetrafluoroethylene.

Claim 23

A blood oxygenator comprising: a housing; means within said housing for mixing blood and oxygen together to form a foam and for pumping the foam through said oxygenator, said mixing and pumping means having at least one blood inlet port at one end and a blood foam outlet at the opposite end, said mixing and pumping means being elongated and having a Midpoint cross section which is substantially less than the cross section thereof at said outlet end; oxygen diffusing means within said mixing and pumping means, said oxygen diffusing means having an oxygen inlet port and having an oxygen outlet spaced from either end of said mixing and pumping means and located substantially at said mid-point thereof, said oxygen diffusing means further comprising: means at said oxygen outlet for discharging oxygen into the blood in said mixing and pumping means in the form of bubbles, the velocity of the oxygen being converted to a foam pressure at said outlet of said mixing and pumping means due to the expanding cross section thereof from the point of entry of the oxygen bubbles to said outlet; an elongated chamber within said housing, the walls of said chamber being laterally spaced from the interior surfaces of said housing; a lattice bed comprising a multiplicity of hard beads of substantially uniform size being tightly packed within and substantially filling said chamber to thereby provide a relatively large collision surface area within said chamber and a plurality of tortuous paths therethrough, said lattice chamber having an outlet and having an inlet coupled to said blood foam outlet of said mixing and pumping means; means for maintaining said lattice bed in tightly packed configuration within said chamber; defoaming means within said housing adjacent said outlet of said lattice chamber, said blood foam being separated into gases and fluid blood within said defoaming means; fluid blood storage means within said housing and located below said defoaming means; and fluid blood outlet means mounted in the bottom of said storage means.

Claim 24

A blood oxygenator comprising: a housing; means within said housing for mixing blood and oxygen together to form a foam and for pumping the foam through said oxygenator, said mixing and pumping means having at least one blood inlet port at one end and a blood foam outlet at the opposite end, said mixing and pumping means being elongated and having a Midpoint cross section which is substantially less than the cross section thereof at said outlet end; oxygen diffusing means within said mixing and pumping means, said oxygen diffusing means having an oxygen inlet port and having an oxygen outlet spaced from either end of said mixing and pumping means and located substantially at said mid-point thereof, said oxygen diffusing means further comprising: means at said oxygen outlet for discharging oxygen into the blood in said mixing and pumping means in the form of bubbles, the velocity of the oxygen being converted to a foam pressure at said outlet of said mixing and pumping means due to the expanding cross section thereof from the point of entry of the oxygen bubbles to said outlet; an elongated chamber within said housing, the walls of said chamber being laterally spaced from the interior surfaces of said housing; a lattice bed comprising a multiplicity of hard beads of substantially uniform size being tightly packed within and substantially filling said chamber to thereby provide a relatively large collision surface area within said chamber and a plurality of tortuous paths therethrough, said lattice chamber having an outlet and having an inlet coupled to said blood foam outlet of said mixing and pumping means; means for maintaining said lattice bed in tightly packed configuration within said chamber; defoaming means within said housing adjacent said outlet of said lattice chamber, said blood foam being separated into gases and fluid blood within said defoaming means; fluid blood storage means within said housing and located below said defoaming means; and fluid blood outlet means mounted in the bottom of said storage means.

Claim 25

The oxygenator recited in claim 21 wherein the blood foam outlet of said mixing and pumping means has substantially the same cross section as said inlet of said elongated lattice chamber.

Claim 26

The oxygenator recited in claim 22 wherein said oxygen outlet of said oxygen diffusing means is substantially smaller in cross sectional area than the cross section of said mixing and pumping means lying in the same plane as said oxygen outlet, whereby the mass flow of oxygen from said oxygen outlet is less than blood through said mixing and pumping means at the same plane as said oxygen outlet.