Development of a fluorinated polyimide hollow fiber for medical devices

We fabricated an asymmetric polyimide hollow fiber for medical devices. A dry/wet phase inversion process was applied to a spinning process to prepare the hollow fiber. The outer diameter was 330 microm with a wall thickness of 70 microm. Transfer rates of O2 and CO2 in the asymmetric polyimide fiber were 6.9 x 10(-3) and 5.5 x 10(-3) cm3 (STP)/(cm2 s cmHg), respectively, which are approximately 10 times higher than those measured in the Menox and Si-polypropylene fibers of the presently available membrane oxygenators. The blood compatibility of the polyimide hollow fiber was evaluated in vivo, indicating that polyimide had excellent blood compatibility when compared with silicone-coated fiber. Additionally, we fabricated a novel porous membrane with three-dimensional fine structure from cylindrical microscale pores and examined possibility of a porous membrane for use in hemodialysis.