title: Description of a flow optimized oxygenator with integrated pulsatile pump.
abstract: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a well-established therapy for several lung and heart diseases in the field of neonatal and pediatric medicine (e.g., acute respiratory distress syndrome, congenital heart failure, cardiomyopathy). Current ECMO systems are typically composed of an oxygenator and a separate nonpulsatile blood pump. An oxygenator with an integrated pulsatile blood pump for small infant ECMO was developed, and this novel concept was tested regarding functionality and gas exchange rate. Pulsating silicone tubes (STs) were driven by air pressure and placed inside the cylindrical fiber bundle of an oxygenator to be used as a pump module. The findings of this study confirm that pumping blood with STs is a viable option for the future. The maximum gas exchange rate for oxygen is 48mL/min/L(blood) at a medium blood flow rate of about 300mL/min. Future design steps were identified to optimize the flow field through the fiber bundle to achieve a higher gas exchange rate. First, the packing density of the hollow-fiber bundle was lower than commercial oxygenators due to the manual manufacturing. By increasing this packing density, the gas exchange rate would increase accordingly. Second, distribution plates for a more uniform blood flow can be placed at the inlet and outlet of the oxygenator. Third, the hollow-fiber membranes can be individually placed to ensure equal distances between the surrounding hollow fibers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Engineering, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, Aachen, Germany. borchardt@hia.rwth-aachen.de
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borchardt
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schlanstein
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arens
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Graefe
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmitz-Rode
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Steinseifer
mesh_terms: D000399:Air Pressure; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D004548:Elasticity; D004867:Equipment Design; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008422:Materials Testing; D008904:Miniaturization; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010107:Oxygenators, Membrane; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012828:Silicones; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012828:Silicones; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen