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手术的血液氧合装置的标准材料。这些设备用于短期的心肺支持程序。这些设备之所以流行，主要是因为数千个微小的中空纤维外部的血液流动引起的对流混合导致了气体交换的增强。这一特性允许以相对紧凑的体积设计高效的气体交换装置。然而，MMHF长期使用时会发生血浆泄漏，当气体侧压力超过血液侧压力时，会发生气体栓塞术。因此，MMHF的紧凑性和有效性，加上固体硅胶膜抵御血浆泄漏和气体栓塞的能力，是设计血液充氧的膜所需的特性。我们已经设计了一种技术，可以制造以均匀的中空三维阵列配置的固体硅膜，使得气体可以在这个中空阵列的内部流动，血液可以在这个中空阵列的外部流动。这种设计允许均匀的对流混合，并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，并评估用于气体交换和血流动力学性能的膜设计参数。建议的商业应用：建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.