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液充氧装置的标准。这些器械用于短期心肺支持手术。这些装置已经变得流行，主要是因为由于在数千个微小中空纤维的外部流动的血液引起的对流混合而增强的气体交换。该性质允许以相对紧凑的体积设计高效的气体交换装置。然而，MMHF在长时间使用时遭受血浆泄漏，并且在气体侧压力超过血液侧压力时遭受气体栓塞。因此，MMHF的紧凑性和有效性，加上固体硅胶膜耐受血浆泄漏和气体栓塞的能力，是膜设计血液氧合的理想特性。我们已经设计了一种技术，该技术将允许制造以均匀的中空三维阵列配置的固体硅酮膜，使得气体可以在该中空阵列的内部流动，而血液可以在该中空阵列的外部流动。这种设计允许均匀的对流混合，以及设计参数的无限灵活性。在第二阶段，我们提议进一步开发制造技术并评估气体交换和血液动力学性能的膜设计参数。拟议的商业应用：所提出的膜将显著提高用于心肺转流手术的血液氧合器的安全性和性能。美国每年使用超过30万台一次性氧合器。

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.