Integrated device for heating and oxygenating blood in an extracorporeal circuit

Abstract

An integrated device for heating and oxygenating blood in an extracorporeal blood circuit, comprising a shell-and-tube heat exchanger module provided with a coupling to a blood supply line and with two couplings respectively for the intake and discharge of the water designed to exchange heat with the blood; ports are also provided for the passage of the blood toward an oxygenator module of the hollow-fiber type which is located at the peripheral region of the heat exchanger and is provided with a coupling to a blood discharge line; the device further comprises means adapted to direct the flow of blood along a turbulence-free path and with optimum distribution within the two modules.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of two preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting examples in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the integrated device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view, taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of a detail of the blood intake coupling;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view, taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view of the heat exchanger module according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

Claims

1. An integrated device for heating and oxygenating blood in an extracorporeal blood circuit, comprising a shell-and-tube heat exchanger module provided with a coupling to a blood supply line and with two couplings respectively for the intake and discharge of the water designed to exchange heat with the blood, ports being further provided for the passage of the blood toward an oxygenator module of the hollow-fiber type which is located at the peripheral region of said heat exchanger and is provided with a coupling to a blood discharge line, the device further comprising means adapted to direct the flow of blood along a turbulence-free path and with optimum distribution within the two modules.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling of the heat exchanger module with a blood supply line has a first portion which is internally cylindrical and tapers externally and is adapted to provide an easy connection to said line, and a second lobe-shaped portion which leads into a chamber for access to the shell-and-tube unit.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising, at the ceiling of the chamber for the discharge of the blood from the shell-and-tube unit of the exchanger module, a cusp-shaped diffuser which is adapted to direct the flow of blood toward the wall of said chamber which comprises ports for passage toward the oxygenator module which are consecutive and coplanar.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein in the resin ring which comprises the embedded lower ends of the hollow fibers of the oxygenator module, the surface directed toward said module is inclined so as to facilitate the motion of the blood toward the discharge connector located proximate to the bottom of the module.

5. The device according to claim 1, comprising a bubble removal coupling for the blood which is located proximate to the upper lid of the oxygenator module, wherein in the resin ring which comprises the embedded upper ends of the hollow fibers of said module, the surface directed toward said module is inclined so as to facilitate the discharge of the bubbles.

6. The integrated device for heating and oxygenating blood, comprising a shell-and-tube heat exchanger module provided with a coupling to a blood supply line and with two couplings respectively for the intake and discharge of the water designed to exchange heat with the blood, wherein it comprises, within the exchanger module, a partition which extends parallel to the tubes of the shell-and-tube unit from the base of said module, where said connectors are provided, so as to give the water a preset path.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein it comprises, within the exchanger module, a diametrical partition which extends parallel to the tubes of the shell-and-tube unit from the base of said module, where said couplings are provided, and along most of the length of said tubes, so as to delimit two chambers which are connected respectively to one of said couplings and to the other coupling and are connected one another at the region located at the top of the shell-and-tube unit.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein it comprises, within the exchanger module, a partition which extends parallel to the tubes of the shell-and-tube unit along their entire length and covers a partial portion of a diameter of said module, so as to delimit two chambers which are connected respectively to one of said couplings and to the other coupling and are connected one another at the interruption of the partition.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the two couplings of the exchanger module respectively for water intake and discharge have the same inclination with respect to the axis of the device.