Blood oxygenator of the membrane type in which a semi-permeable membrane (by which is meant a membrane that is permeable to gas but not to aqueous liquid) separates the blood from the oxygen but allows diffusion of oxygen into the blood and of carbon dioxide from the blood into the stream of gas; such blood oxygenator being characterized by a plurality of oxygen, water and blood units, each blood unit having a frame which together with semi-permeable membranes forms a blood cavity, the blood ent...

A filter for blood and the like including a housing defining an inlet for fluids to be filtered, and an outlet for filtered fluid, plus a stack of filter pads of thermoplastic fibers positioned within the housing. According to one aspect of this invention, the stack of pads is joined together at their periphery by a heat seal to form an integral filter unit, while, typically, the stack is joined to the housing at such periphery by a second seal. In another aspect of this invention, the fluid inl...

A blood filter for removing dead blood corpuscles, conglomerations of blood corpuscles and foreign components from the blood comprises dense wadding formed from a plastics monofilament or a bundle of long plastics threads.

The invention relates to a blood dialyzing apparatus comprising at least one bundle of semi-permeable hollow filaments and a cylindrical housing positioning said bundle of filaments and having a large length to inside diameter ratio of 7 to 10.

A blood oxygenator wherein blood and oxygen are admixed by flowing blood, into which has been introduced bubbles of oxygen, through a three-dimensional, open cellular mixing material having a substantial void volume. The resulting arterialized blood and blood foam rise to the top of the admixing chamber and are contained in a channel located at the top of the chamber and directed through this channel to the input of a defoamer chamber. A defoamer filter of annular configuration is retained withi...

A blood reservoir adapted for use in an extracorporeal circulatory support circuit. The blood reservoir comprises a housing having a chamber for holding blood, an outlet in the housing for draining blood from the chamber, and first and second inlets for supplying venous blood to the chamber. The first inlet includes an first inlet tube extending from the top in the vertical-downward direction into the chamber, and the second inlet tube having a generally inverted U-shape extending into the chamb...

A blood oxygenator having two separable components one of which is disposable and the other of which is reusable and sterilizable. The disposable portion of the oxygenator is multichambered and provides an oxygenating chamber, a defoaming chamber and an arterial reservoir constructed so that blood will flow sequentially therethrough. The reusable member is constructed in the form of a cover for the oxygenator and has depending therefrom a heat exchanger for maintaining the temperature of the blo...

A dynamic blood pump includes a rotating core member and rotating ring portion effective to pre-spin blood before the blood enteres helical pumping channels of the pump. The blood is pumped and further rotated as it moves axially along the helical channels toward a centrifugal section of the pump. At the centrifugal pumping section circumferential velocity differentials are also controlled to diminish damage to the blood. Outwardly of the centrifugal pumping section, a forced-vortex pumping sect...

A provision of improving the flow of blood through a region of increased impedance is disclosed. The provision comprises assisting blood flow is said region by means of a pump placed in or around a blood vessel supplying blood to said area, and acting to pump blood in the required direction. The pump (1) comprises, in one embodiment, a housing (2) annularly surrounding a compressible conduit (3), said housing (2) containing a plurality of flexible inflatable containers (4) mounted for contact wi...

A novel cardiac assist blood pump is disclosed. The blood pump comprises a pump chamber, a pressurizing chamber provided adjacent to the pump chamber, a rotor chamber provided adjacent to the pressurizing chamber and an impelled positioned in the pump chamber, said pump being characterized in that the rotation shaft of the impeller means is provided with a first seal member having a skirt portion which is made of an elastomeric material and extends downward to cover the clearance between the rot...