Apparatus and method for selective separation of blood cholesterol

摘要

Selective separation of blood cholesterol by cascade filtration. An in vivo filter is implanted within a blood vessel to separate plasma from blood, and the separated plasma is removed to an extracorporeal secondary filter which removes low density lipoprotein (LDL) from the plasma. The in vivo portion of the apparatus comprises a number of microporous hollow fibers sized to permit diffusion of plasma, but not cellular or other larger blood components, through the fiber pores to the hollow interior of the fibers. The secondary filter passes the removed plasma along membrane walls formed by fibers sized to block passage of LDL while permitting passage of other plasma components, so that approximately 95 percent of LDL is separated from the plasma before the plasma is returned to the body in real time after removing the LDL cholesterol.