Apparatus for Making Extracorporeal Blood Circulation Available

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus or making extracorporeal blood circulation available, in particular a heart-lung machine, comprising a venous connection and an arterial connection, between which a blood reservoir, a blood pump and a bubble detector for the detection of air bubbles are provided, with, downstream of the bubble detector, an arterial line leading to the arterial connection via an arterial clamp and a bypass leading via a bypass clamp back into the blood reservoir which is connected to a pump extracting air from the blood reservoir. In addition, the present invention relates to a method of operating such an apparatus.

1 . An apparatus for making extracorporeal blood circulation available, in particular a heart-lung machine, comprising a venous connection and an arterial connection, between which a blood reservoir, a blood pump and a bubble detector for the detection of air bubbles are provided, with, downstream of the bubble detector, an arterial line leading to the arterial connection via an arterial clamp and a bypass leading via a bypass clamp back into the blood reservoir which is connected to a pump extracting air from the blood reservoir. 
     
     
         2 . An apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein at least one of an oxygenator and an arterial filter is provided between the blood pump and the bubble detector. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein blood conducting components of the apparatus, in particular at least one of an oxygenator and an arterial filter, are connected to the blood reservoir via a venting line, with venting clamps being respectively provided between the blood-conducting components and the blood reservoir for the closing of the venting line. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the blood pump is made as a centrifugal pump with a central inlet and a tangential outlet, with the tangential outlet facing downwardly when the apparatus is in an operating position. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the pump extracting air from the blood reservoir is a roller pump, preferably with a clamping function. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein an air container is arranged downstream of the pump extracting air from the blood reservoir. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the blood reservoir is split into an inlet region and an outlet region by a membrane impermeable for air bubbles. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein means are provided for the monitoring of the filling level of the blood reservoir. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for making extracorporeal blood circulation available, in particular a heart-lung machine, comprising a venous connection and an arterial connection, between which a blood reservoir split into an inlet region and an outlet region by a membrane impermeable for air bubbles and having means for the monitoring of the filling level, a blood pump made as a centrifugal pump, an oxygenator, an arterial filter and a bubble detector for the detection of air bubbles are provided, with, downstream of the bubble detector, an arterial line leading to the arterial connection via an arterial clamp and a bypass leading via a bypass clamp back into the blood reservoir which is connected to a roller pump conveying air from the blood reservoir into an air container. 
     
     
         10 . A method of operating an apparatus for making extracorporeal blood circulation available, wherein blood entering through a venous connection is pumped by a blood pump through a blood reservoir to an arterial connection, with a bubble detector for the detection of air bubbles being arranged downstream of the arterial connection and, as soon as the bubble detector detects an air bubble, an arterial clamp disposed between the bubble detector ( 50 ) and the arterial connection is closed and a bypass clamp is opened so that the blood is guided from the bubble detector via a bypass back into the blood reservoir which is connected to a further pump which extracts air from the blood reservoir and wherein, as soon as the blood detector no longer detects any air bubbles, the arterial clamp is opened again and the bypass clamp is closed so that the operating state prevailing before the detection of an air bubble is established again. 
     
     
         11 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein the bypass clamp is opened at regular time intervals to flush the bypass. 
     
     
         12 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein at least one of an oxygenator and an arterial filter is arranged upstream of the bubble detector. 
     
     
         13 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein blood conducting components of the apparatus, in particular an oxygenator and/or an arterial filter, are connected to the blood reservoir via a venting line, with venting clamps closing the venting line being opened at regular time intervals. 
     
     
         14 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein the blood pump is made as a centrifugal pump with a central inlet and a tangential outlet, with the tangential outlet facing downwardly when the apparatus is in an operating position. 
     
     
         15 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein a roller pump, in particular with a clamping function, is used as the pump for the extraction of air from the blood reservoir. 
     
     
         16 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein the pump for the extraction of air from the blood reservoir conveys the air from the blood reservoir into an air container. 
     
     
         17 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein the blood reservoir is split into an inlet region and an outlet region by a membrane impermeable for air bubbles. 
     
     
         18 . A method in accordance with  claim 10 , wherein the blood reservoir is provided with means for the monitoring of the filling level; and in that, when the filling level falls beneath a first threshold value, the second pump is started to extract air from the blood reservoir and, when the filling level falls beneath a second threshold value lying beneath the first threshold value, the blood pump is stopped. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled)