| 摘要 |
The intravascular artificial organ is comprised of a flexible, hollow, semipermeable catheter containing living cells or tissue. The catheter is constructed of material with a pore size resulting in a molecular weight cutoff of approximately 50,000 Daltons. This pore size permits oxygen, glucose, and hormones to diffuse freely into and out of the organ. By contrast, cells of the host immune system cannot gain access to the cells or tissues within the organ and destroy them. Thus, it is possible to load the intravascular artificial organ with cells and tissues of immunologically foreign individuals, animals, bacteria or plants. The preferred embodiment consists of a double lumen catheter connected to two percutaneous access ports permitting flushing and reloading of the organ without removing it from the body. |
