LIQUID BREATHING-GAS EXCHANGER

摘要

In accordance with the present invention there are provided devices and methods for facilitating the transfer of gas between liquid and gas phases. Invention devices and methods employ fluid dispersion units that cast liquid in the form of discrete thin planar layers. In this manner, the liquid assumes a dispersion of droplets which, owing to their size-to-volume ratio, allow for efficient mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases. Invention devices and methods find particular application in the field of liquid ventilation, wherein a patient is exhausting carbon dioxide and obtaining oxygen through a partially or completely liquid medium such as a perfluorocarbon.