Disposable,integrated extracorporeal blood circuit

Abstract

A disposable, integrated extracorporeal blood circuit employed during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery performs gas exchange, heat transfer, and. microemboli filtering functions in a way as to conserve volume, to reduce setup and change out times, to eliminate a venous blood reservoir, and to substantially reduce blood-air interface. Blood from the patient or prime solution is routed through an air removal device that is equipped with air sensors for detection of air. An active air removal controller removes detected air from blood in the air removal device. A disposable circuit support module is used to mount the components of the disposable, integrated extracorporeal blood circuit in close proximity and in a desirable spatial relationship to optimize priming and use of the disposable, integrated extracorporeal blood circuit. A reusable circuit holder supports the disposable circuit support module in relation to a prime solution source, the active air removal controller and other components.

1 . A disposable, integrated extracorporeal blood circuit for providing extracorporeal oxygenation of a patient's blood during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery adapted to be performed in the presence of a perfusionist on a patient in an operating room and employing a venous return line and an arterial line coupled to the respective venous and arterial systems of the patient, the circuit comprising: 
 a disposable blood pump having a blood pump inlet and a blood pump outlet and adapted to be operated to draw venous blood into the blood pump inlet and pump the venous blood out of the blood pump outlet;    a disposable venous air removal device (VARD) having an upper venous blood inlet coupled to the venous return line and a lower venous blood outlet coupled to the blood pump inlet, whereby venous blood is drawn through the VARD by operation of the blood pump;    a disposable blood oxygenator having an oxygenator venous blood inlet coupled to the blood pump outlet and an oxygenated blood outlet, the blood oxygenator adapted to be operated to oxygenate venous blood pumped by the blood pump into the oxygenator venous blood inlet and discharge oxygenated blood from the oxygenated blood outlet;    a disposable arterial filter having an arterial filter inlet coupled to the oxygenated blood outlet of the blood oxygenator and a arterial filter outlet coupled to the arterial line; and    a disposable circuit support module supporting and spatially arranging the blood oxygenator, the VARD, the arterial filter, and the blood pump in 3-D space with the oxygenator venous blood inlet and the venous blood outlet of the blood pump supported at substantially the same elevation, the lower venous blood outlet of the VARD at a VARD outlet elevation above the venous blood inlet of the blood pump, the arterial line coupled to the arterial filter outlet of the arterial filter at an arterial line elevation higher than the VARD outlet elevation, the arterial filter inlet of the arterial filter at an arterial filter inlet elevation higher than the arterial line elevation, and the venous return line coupled to the upper venous blood inlet of the VARD at a venous return line elevation, whereby the operation of the blood pump is assisted by gravity flow of venous blood through the venous return line and the VARD.    
   
   
       2 - 43 . (canceled)