Combination Oxygenator and Arterial Filter Device for Treating Blood in an Extracorporeal Blood Circuit

Abstract

A combination oxygenator and arterial filter device for treating blood in an extracorporeal circuit includes a housing, an oxygenator, and a depth filter. The oxygenator includes a hollow fiber bundle forming an oxygenator exterior face. The depth filter is disposed (e.g., wound) directly over the exterior face, and includes a plurality of filaments arranged to define filter layers of level wound filaments. A first layer directly abuts the oxygenator exterior face. The oxygenator bundle differs from the depth filter in terms of: fiber and filament materials, construction of the fibers and filaments, and/or minimum gap spacings between axially adjacent ones of the fibers and the filaments. An oxygenator with integrated arterial filtering capability is provided that minimally impacts the extracorporeal blood circuit prime volume.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A method of making a combination oxygenator and arterial filter device for treating blood in an extracorporeal blood circuit, the method comprising:
 helically winding a plurality of hollow microporous fibers about an internal core to define an oxygenator bundle forming at an oxygenator exterior face;   applying a depth filter directly over the oxygenator exterior face, the depth filter including a plurality of filaments arranged to define a first filter layer of level wound filaments directly abutting the oxygenator exterior face and a second filter layer of level wound filaments directly abutting the first filter layer opposite the oxygenator exterior face;   wherein a structure of the oxygenator bundle differs from a structure of the depth filter by at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of: materials of the fibers and filaments, construction of the fibers and the filaments, and minimum gap spacings between axially adjacent ones of the fibers and axially adjacent ones of the filaments; and   disposing the oxygenator bundle and the depth filter within a housing.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein applying a depth filter includes helically winding the plurality of filaments over the oxygenator bundle to establish the first and second filter layers as each being composed of level cross-wound filaments. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein helically winding the plurality of hollow microporous fibers includes threading a fiber guide of a winding apparatus with the hollow fibers and rotating the internal core relative to the fiber guide, and further wherein helically winding the plurality of filaments includes:
 removing the hollow fibers from the fiber guide;   threading at least some of the filaments into the fiber guide; and   rotating the internal core relative to the fiber guide.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein an outer diameter of the filaments is less than an outer diameter of the fibers. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the filaments are solid. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the fibers are formed of a first material and the filaments are formed of a second material differing from the first material. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein a minimum gap spacing between axially adjacent filaments of the first filter layer is less than a minimum gap spacing between axially adjacent fibers of the oxygenator bundle.