Abstract: Device useful as a heat exchanger for blood or as an apparatus in which blood may be treated or reacted with selected reactants. Device comprises hollow tubing which has plastic monofilament placed in a generally spiral configuration around its outer surface, said monofilament being in the form of continuous or discontinuous projections or ridges. Strands of wire may be substituted for the plastic monofilament. Hollow tubing having such plastic monofilament or strands of wire is also included.

Abstract: Natural tissues fixed with a tanning solution such as glutaraldehyde and intended for implantation in humans, e.g., porcine heart valve prosthetic devices, are treated with a solution of a water soluble quaternary ammonium salt such as dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride to inhibit mineralizaton, particularly calcification, of the tissue after implantation.

Abstract: Natural tissues fixed with a tanning solution such as glutaraldehyde and intended for implantation in humans, e.g., porcine heart valve prosthetic devices, are treated with a solution of a water soluble phosphate ester such as sodium dodecyl hydrogen phosphate to inhibit mineralization, particularly calcification, of the tissue after implantation.

Abstract: A port cap for attachment to an inlet or an outlet port of a device, especially a medical device such as a cardiotomy reservoir, venous reservoir, blood oxygenator or blood dialyzer. The port cap comprises a hollow body member having a wall at its first end, a second end which is open, and a hollow interior. The closed end of the body member carries a hollow projection having a first end which is closed and a second end which is open, the hollow interior of this projection being in fluid communication with the hollow interior of the body member. The cap has a weakened peripheral portion near its closed end so that its closed end may be twisted off to gain access to the hollow interior of the cap. The cap may comprise thread means on the inside surface of the body member near its open end or it may have thread means on the outside surface of the aforementioned projection between the weakened peripheral portion and the end wall of the body member. The cap may be used to cover or close the port of a device.

Abstract: Hollow fibers, particularly useful as semipermeable membranes in separatory devices such as blood dialyzers, having a non-uniform cross-sectional area along the length thereof. The fibers have recurring points of maximum outside diameter and minimum outside diameter and such points may recur on a regular basis or at random. Fiber wall thicknesses may be substantially uniform or non-uniform. Methods and apparatus for making the fibers are disclosed.

Abstract: Hollow fibers, particularly useful as semipermeable membranes in separatory devices such as blood dialyzers, having a non-uniform cross-sectional area along the length thereof. The fibers have recurring points of maximum outside diameter and minimum outside diameter and such points may recur on a regular basis or at random. Fiber wall thicknesses may be substantially uniform or non-uniform. Methods and apparatus for making the fibers are disclosed.

Abstract: Hollow fibers, particularly useful as semipermeable membranes in separatory devices such as blood dialyzers, having a non-uniform cross-sectional area along the length thereof. The fibers have recurring points of maximum outside diameter and minimum outside diameter and such points may recur on a regular basis or at random. Fiber wall thicknesses may be substantially uniform or non-uniform. Methods and apparatus for making the fibers are disclosed.

Abstract: Improved dialyzer construction has elongated tubular casing with enlarged casing ends and longitudinally-extending partitioning that divides its interior into a plurality of generally parallel passageways containing hollow dialysis fibers, the casing ends containing dialyzate flow manifolding and directing means for receiving dialyzate from a supply thereof, directing it from one casing end to the other through one of the passageways around the fibers, and so to and fro through the successive passageways, finally directing the dialyzate out through a discharge opening. The dialyzate flow can in each fiber-containing passageway be counter-current to the flow within the fibers of the liquid being dialyzed. A gas by-pass can be provided in the partitioning at one end to bleed out gas that tends to accumulate at the high point of the to-and-fro dialyzate travel.

Abstract: Dialysis apparatus is arranged to enable convenient measuring of ultrafiltration rate from liquid, such as blood, that is to be dialyzed. Dialyzer can have, downstream of a dialysis chamber, a dialyzate passageway through which the ultrafiltration flow rate can be readily measured as by introducing a gas bubble into the dialyzate and timing its movement through the passageway. An air-injection attachment can be fitted to the dialyzer or to a dialyzate supply system, to inject the gas bubble for such measurement. Bubble injection can also be effected in a flow rate measuring passageway downstream of the dialyzer. Flow rates of dialyzate into and out of dialyzer can be compared to show ultrafiltration while dialyzing. The gas injector can be valve-containing unit also equipped with a paddle-wheel dialyzate flow indicator.

Abstract: Dialysis apparatus is arranged to enable convenient measuring of ultrafiltration rate from liquid, such as blood, that is to be dialyzed. Dialyzer can have, downstream of a dialysis chamber, a dialyzate passageway through which the ultrafiltration flow rate can be readily measured as by introducing a gas bubble into the dialyzate and timing its movement through the passageway. An air-injection attachment can be fitted to the dialyzer or to a dialyzate supply system, to inject the gas bubble for such measurement. Bubble injection can also be effected in a flow rate measuring passageway downstream of the dialyzer. Flow rates of dialyzate into and out of dialyzer can be compared to show ultrafiltration while dialyzing.

Abstract: A wrapped coil-type permeation device wherein the support material has integrally formed therein thickened side strips and end areas suitable for creating a winding core upon which membrane and support material windings are layered and/or an outer covering or casing for the wound coil device. The support material end areas include interlocking portions and fluid ports.

Abstract: A fluid pump includes an upstanding wall on its base with a generally circular rotor spaced from and generally parallel to the wall to define a tube containing path therebetween with the rotor having at least one slot which defines the inner edge of an integral spring arm upon which a roller is mounted for making depressing contact with a resilient tube mounted in the path for forcing fluid through the tube and with the integral spring arm having sufficient resiliency to accommodate any back pressure developed in the tube.

Abstract: An extracorporeal, disposable, dialyzer for use in a variety of artificial kidney or other mass transfer systems, which includes a sheet of plastic material supporting a flattened tube of membrane material, the sheet of support material consists of a continuous sheet of contoured, substantially uniform thickness material including a series of spaced apart hollow protrusions extending outwardly from each side thereof, the summits of the hollow protrusions defining membrane support surfaces on each side of the sheet, and the summits being arranged with respect to each other in predetermined wave patterns dimensioned and arranged such that, when an elongated length of the sheet is formed into a roll having predetermined inner and outer peripheral dimensions, the wave patterns will never be directly superimposed thereby avoiding the tendency of corresponding hollow protrusions to interdigitate and occlude the fluid flow passages.

Abstract: A support material is fed through mating elements which emboss transverse score lines thereon to form an accordion fold in the material. A single thickness of the folded support material is then interleaved with a permeable membrane and sealed in a housing to form a compact inexpensive flat plate dialyzer. Longitudinal channels are formed in the support material which materially improve distribution of fluids within the dialyzer.

Abstract: An extracorporeal, disposable, low-prime dialyzer coil for use in a variety of artificial kidney systems which includes a length of porous material supporting the tube of membrane material in a generally flattened and rolled up configuration. The length of porous material has an average thickness along its edge portions which is no greater than the average thickness along its mid-portion, and has an embossed configuration on one side while the other side is relatively smooth. The porous material is rigidized thermoplastic or thermosetting material, composed for instance of sintered granules or foamed open cells, with a majority of the pores or openings communicating with the surface to insure full dialysate flow against the membrane material. The porous support material is useful in a wide variety of coil designs, including coils adapted for operation with recirculating artificial kidney systems, with non-recirculating systems, or with systems combining recirculation with fresh dialysate addition.

Abstract: An extracorporeal, disposable, dialyzer for use in a variety of artificial kidney or other mass transfer systems, which includes a sheet of support material rolled up in a spiral with a flattened tube of membrane material, the sheet of support material includes a large number of embossments protruding from each side thereof and arranged in similar geometrical patterns which are angularly off-set with respect to each other so that the summits of the embossments on one side are spaced apart differently along any given directional line than the directly opposed summits of the embossments on the other side, thus when the sheet of support material is rolled up in a spiral the summits of the embossments avoid interdigitation which would substantially occlude the blood passage formed by the tube of membrane material.