Development of an implantable oxygenator with cross-flow pump

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Devices
• Respiratory Support

Background:

• Thrombogenicity and reduced gas exchange are key issues in long-term artificial lungs, often caused by blood-biomaterial interactions and non-uniform blood flow.
• Conventional oxygenator designs with small inlet ports contribute to complex flow patterns like turbulence and stagnation, exacerbating these problems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the design of an artificial lung oxygenator by integrating a uniform flow pump and modifying the inlet for improved blood flow dynamics.
• To evaluate the impact of a cross-flow pump (CFP) and modified inlet on the gas exchange efficiency and flow uniformity of a membrane oxygenator.

Main Methods:

• Modified an existing oxygenator design by altering the inlet to better accommodate a cross-flow pump (CFP).
• Utilized computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to assess blood flow uniformity in three oxygenator models with varying inlet taper angles.
• Experimentally evaluated the gas transfer capabilities (O2 and CO2) of the integrated oxygenator system.

Main Results:

• Computational fluid dynamics analysis demonstrated an 88.8% improvement in flow uniformity at the hollow fiber membrane compared to the original design.
• The integrated oxygenator achieved an average increase of 20.8% in oxygen (O2) transfer.
• An average increase of 35.5% in carbon dioxide (CO2) transfer was observed with the improved oxygenator design.

Conclusions:

• The integration of a cross-flow pump (CFP) effectively generates uniform blood flow into the oxygenator.
• The modified oxygenator design significantly enhances both oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer, improving overall gas exchange performance.
• This approach offers a promising solution to mitigate thrombogenicity and improve the efficacy of artificial lung technology.