Blood cleaning hollow fiber membrane method for cleaning blood, and apparatus therefor

Claim 2

A blood cleaning system comprising: a plurality of blood cleaning means connected in series, each said blood cleaning means comprising: a housing having an inner surface and an outer surface; a multiplicity of blood-cleaning hollow fiber membrane means disposed in said housing, wherein each of said hollow fiber membrane means comprises a hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membrane having a space therein, an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said space contains a hydrophilic compound and the inner surface of said hollow fiber membrane has a thin hydrophilic layer formed thereon by a gamma ray grafting process whereby said hydrophilic compound is grafted onto the inner surface of said hollow fiber membrane and said blood cleaning means is sterilized simultaneously; a blood inlet means; a blood outlet means, wherein said spaces in said porous hollow fiber membranes are capable of communicating with said blood inlet means and said blood outlet means; a cleaning fluid inlet means; a cleaning fluid outlet means, wherein said inner surface of said housing and said outer surfaces of said hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membranes are capable of communicating with said cleaning fluid inlet means and said cleaning fluid outlet means, wherein a different cleaning fluid can be introduced into each said cleaning fluid inlet means.

Claim 3

The blood cleaning system of claim 1 wherein said hydrophyllic compound is glycerol.

Claim 4

The blood cleaning system of claim 1 wherein said hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membrane is formed of one member selected from the group consisting of polyolefin type, polyester type, polyamide type, polyurethane type, poly(meth)acrylate type, poly(meth)acrylonitrile type, polysulfone type and polyvinyl chloride type compounds and ploymer blends thereof.

Claim 5

The blood cleaning system of claim 3 wherein said hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membrane is made of polypropylene.

Claim 6

The blood cleaning system of claim 1 wherein said blood cleaning hollow fiber membranes have walls of thickness from 5 μm to 30 μm and inside diameters of from 100 μm to 500 μm.

Claim 7

The blood cleaning system of claim 1 wherein the average inside diameters of the pores in said porous hollow fiber membrane are from 0.01 μm to 6.5 μm and said porous hollow fiber membrane has a void ratio from 30% to 70%.

Claim 8

The blood cleaning system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of blood cleaning means comprises: a first blood cleaning means and a last blood cleaning means, wherein the blood outlet means of each blood cleaning means is connected to the blood inlet means of a subsequent blood cleaning means except that the blood inlet means of said first means is not connected to the blood outlet means of one of said blood cleaning means and the blood outlet means of said last blood cleaning means is not connected to the blood inlet means of one of said blood cleaning means, wherein blood can flow from said first blood cleaning means to said last blood cleaning means, and further wherein said first blood cleaning means is at a level below that of said last blood cleaning means.

Claim 9

The blood cleaning system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of blood cleaning means comprises: a first blood cleaning means and a last blood cleaning means, wherein the blood outlet means of each blood cleaning means is connected to the blood inlet means of a subsequent blood cleaning means except that the blood inlet means of said first means is not connected to the blood outlet means of one of said blood cleaning means and the blood outlet means of said last blood cleaning means is not connected to the blood inlet means of one of said blood cleaning means, wherein blood can flow from said first blood cleaning means to said last blood cleaning means, and further wherein said first blood cleaning means is at the same level as said last blood cleaning means.

Claim 10

The blood cleaning system of claim 8 wherein said blood cleaning means are arranged in U-shaped configuration.

Claim 11

The blood cleaning system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of blood cleaning means comprises: a first blood cleaning means and a last blood cleaning means, wherein the blood outlet means of each blood cleaning means is connected to the blood inlet means of a subsequent blood cleaning means except that the blood inlet means of said first means is not connected to the blood outlet means of one of said blood cleaning means and the blood outlet means of said last blood cleaning means is not connected to the blood inlet means of one of said blood cleaning means, wherein blood can flow from said first blood cleaning means to said last blood cleaning means, and further wherein said first blood cleaning means is at a level above that of said last blood cleaning means.

Claim 12

A blood cleaning system for removing protective fluids from freeze preserved blood, said blood cleaning system comprising: a plurality of blood cleaning means connected in series in a U-shaped configuration, each said blood cleaning means comprising: a housing having an inner surface and an outer surface; a multiplicity of blood-cleaning hollow fiber membrane means disposed in said housing, wherein each of said hollow fiber membrane means comprises a hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membrane having a space therein, an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said space contains a hydrophilic compound and the inner surface of said hollow fiber membrane has a thin hydrophilic layer formed thereon; a blood inlet means; a blood outlet means, wherein said spaces in said hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membranes are capable of communicating with said blood inlet means and said blood outlet means; a cleaning fluid inlet means; a cleaning fluid outlet means, wherein said inner surface of said housing and said outer surfaces of said hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membranes are capable of communicating with said cleaning fluid inlet means and said cleaning fluid outlet means, and further wherein a different cleaning fluid can be introduced into each said cleaning fluid inlet means; a first blood cleaning means and a last blood cleaning means, wherein the blood outlet means of each blood cleaning means is connected to the blood inlet means of a subsequent blood cleaning means except that the blood inlet means of said first means is not connected to the blood outlet means of one of said blood cleaning means and the blood outlet means of said last blood cleaning means is not connected to the blood inlet means of one of said blood cleaning means, wherein blood can flow from said first blood cleaning means to said last blood cleaning means, and further wherein said first blood cleaning means is at the same level as said last blood cleaning means.

Claim 13

A blood cleaning system for removing protective fluids from freeze preserved blood, said blood cleaning system comprising: a plurality of blood cleaning means connected in series in a U-shaped configuration, each said blood cleaning means comprising: a housing having an inner surface and an outer surface; a multiplicity of blood-cleaning hollow fiber membrane means disposed in said housing, wherein each of said hollow fiber membrane means comprises a hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membrane having a space therein, an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein said space contains a hydrophilic compound and the inner surface of said hollow fiber membrane has a thin hydrophilic layer formed thereon; a blood inlet means; a blood outlet means, wherein said spaces in said hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membranes are capable of communicating with said blood inlet means and said blood outlet means; a cleaning fluid inlet means; a cleaning fluid outlet means, wherein said inner surface of said housing and said outer surfaces of said hydrophobic porous hollow fiber membranes are capable of communicating with said cleaning fluid inlet means and said cleaning fluid outlet means, and further wherein a different cleaning fluid can be introduced into each said cleaning fluid inlet means; a first blood cleaning means and a last blood cleaning means, wherein the blood outlet means of each blood cleaning means is connected to the blood inlet means of a subsequent blood cleaning means except that the blood inlet means of said first means is not connected to the blood outlet means of one of said blood cleaning means and the blood outlet means of said last blood cleaning means is not connected to the blood inlet means of one of said blood cleaning means, wherein blood can flow from said first blood cleaning means to said last blood cleaning means, and further wherein said first blood cleaning means is at the same level as said last blood cleaning means.

Claim 14

The system of claim 11 wherein said thin hydrophilic layer is formed by a gamma ray grafting process whereby said hydrophyllic compound is grafted onto the inner surface of said hollow fiber membrane and said blood cleaning means is sterilized simultaneously.