Abstract: In a pump-oxygenator, artificial lungs are located in a blood delivery line for adding oxygen to a blood stream flowing through the blood delivery line and removing carbonic acid gas therefrom. A plurality of sub-reservoirs are located upstream of a main reservoir to store blood therein. A plurality of sub-suction lines for blood are respectively connected to the plurality of sub-reservoirs. The pump is driven to supply a negative pressure with the main reservoir, a magnitude of which is smaller than a negative pressure induced in the sub-reservoirs so as to draw the blood from the sub-reservoirs and the blood-drawing line to the main reservoir. A controller has control sections each supplied with a negative pressure by a negative pressure source, and connected to the corresponding sub-reservoirs and the main reservoir by way of negative pressure lines so as to control the negative pressure in each of the sub-reservoirs and the main reservoir at a preset value.

Abstract: An electrically driven actuator having a rotary output shaft for actuating a valve apparatus is disclosed. An electric motor is employed to rotationally drive a pair of parallel threaded shafts symmetrically disposed with respect to the rotary shaft in a plane extending transversely to the plane of the axis of rotation of the rotary shaft. A transverse arm rotationally fixed to the rotary shaft slidably engages feed nuts carried by the threaded shafts for axial movement therealong upon shaft rotation, and the transverse arm is moved in a pivotal, swinging movement sweeping the axial paths of the feed nuts to provide rotation of the rotary output shaft. The provision of a pair of transverse arms extending from axially spaced positions along the rotary shaft on each side of the plane of the threaded shafts is also disclosed. In a modified actuator structure, the use of a worm wheel rotationally fixed to the rotary shaft and directly engaging the threaded shafts is shown.

Abstract: A pump or motor having a cylindrical housing member and a shaft member extending coaxially therethrough. The shaft member carries shaft vanes which project radially from the shaft member into close proximity with an inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical housing member while the cylindrical housing member carries cylinder vanes which are fixed to the cylinder housing member and project therefrom radially toward and into close proximity with the shaft member. The ends of the shaft vanes are fixed with a pair of circular flanges which have outer peripheral edges next to the inner surface of the cylindrical member, these flanges extending across the opposed ends of the cylinder vanes. Axially extending sealing members extend along the outer edges of the shaft vanes between the latter and the inner surface of the cylinder member while annular sealing members extend along the peripheral edges of the flanges engaging the latter and the inner surface of the cylinder member.