HOLLOW ARRAY SOLID MEMBRANE FOR BLOOD OXYGENATORS

微孔膜中空纤维（MMHF）已成为用于短期心肺支持程序的血氧设备的标准。这些设备用于短期心肺支持程序。这些装置之所以流行，主要是因为血液在成千上万的微小中空纤维的外部流动，从而引起对流混合，从而增强了气体交换。这种特性允许在相对紧凑的体积中设计高效的气体交换装置。然而，MMHF在长时间使用时，会出现血浆泄漏，当气体侧压超过血液侧压时，会出现气体栓塞。因此，MMHF的紧凑性和有效性，加上固体硅膜承受血浆泄漏和气体栓塞的能力，是膜设计血氧合的理想特性。我们已经设计了一种技术，可以制造出一个均匀中空三维阵列的固体硅膜，这样气体就可以在里面流动，血液就可以在中空阵列的外面流动。这种设计允许均匀的对流混合，并且在设计参数上具有无限的灵活性。在第二阶段，我们建议进一步发展制备技术，并评估膜的气体交换和血流动力学性能的设计参数。拟议的商业应用：拟议的膜将显著提高用于体外循环手术的血液氧合器的安全性和性能。美国每年使用的一次性氧合器超过30万个。

Microporous membrane hollow fibers (MMHF) have become standard in blood oxygenating devices used for short term cardiorespiratory support procedures. These devices used for short term cardiorespiratory support procedures. These devices have become popular mainly because of enhanced gas exchange due to the convective mixing induced by the blood flowing on the outside of thousands of tiny hollow fibers. This property allows for designing highly efficient gas exchange devices in relatively compact volumes. Yet MMHF suffer from plasma leakage when they are used for extended periods of time, and from gas embolization when the gas side pressure exceed the blood side pressure, exceed the blood side pressure. Thus the compactness and effectiveness of the MMHF, plus the ability of solid silicone membranes to withstanding plasma leakage and gas embolization are desirable properties in a membrane designed blood oxygenation. We have devised a technique that will allow for the fabrication of a solid silicone membrane configured in a uniform hollow three-dimensional array, such that gas can flow in the inside and blood on the outside of this hollow array. This design allows for uniform convective mixing, and unlimited flexibility in design parameters. In Phase II we proposed to further develop the fabrication technique and to evaluate the membrane design parameters for gas exchange and hemodynamic performance. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The proposed membrane will significantly enhance safety and performance of blood oxygenators used for cardiopulmonary bypass operations. There are over 300,000 disposable oxygenators used in the US every year.