CARTRIDGES AND SYSTEMS FOR MEMBRANE-BASED THERAPIES

摘要

A cartridge is provided for dialysis or other blood processing therapy. In the cartridge, fibers may be substantially uniformly distributed near a midplane, but near an end, in the inter fiber space, there may be void flow channels, which may cause fluid flow in the inter fiber space to transition within a short region to uniform flow with minimal stagnation zones. Void flow channels may be be radially oriented, introducing fluid from the outer circumference, or axially oriented, introducing fluid along the axial direction through passageways through the potting material. The fluid flow in the inter fiber space may be perpendicular to the fibers, or radial with respect to a cartridge longitudinal axis. The cartridge may have blood flow in the inter fiber space, and flow of dialysate or ultrafiltrate in the lumens of the fibers, or the opposite situation.

主权项

1. A cartridge for processing a fluid, said cartridge comprising:
a housing that is generally tubular, having a housing wall and having a midplane; and a plurality of fibers, at least some of said fibers being hollow and having porous walls or a semipermeable membrane, at least portions of said fibers being contained within said housing, said fibers being potted near their ends in a potting material, wherein said plurality of fibers are arranged as a bundle of fibers that are generally parallel to each other at least at said midplane, said fibers in said fiber bundle having an average fiber-centerline-to-fiber-centerline spacing, at said midplane, wherein, adjacent to said potting material, said fiber region contains at least one void flow channel that is substantially open and has a transverse dimension that is at least 3 times said average fiber-centerline-to-fiber-centerline spacing, wherein said void flow channel adjoins an outer circumference of said fiber bundle and extends inward to a radially more inward location.