Apparatus And Method For Contacting Blood With Ozone

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for contacting blood with ozone to kill microorganisms in the blood are described. The method involves injecting microbubbles of ozone containing gas into a flow of blood, preferably at a temperature of less than 12° C. The apparatus includes a blood flow conduit including a blood ozone contacting portion including a porous ozone injector.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for contacting blood with ozone, the method comprising:
 receiving a flow of blood into an ozonation apparatus;   injecting bubbles of an ozone containing gas into the flow of blood; and   delivering the flow of blood that is ozonated from the ozonation apparatus;   wherein the flow of blood is vertically upwards during the injecting of bubbles of the ozone containing gas.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising cooling the flow of blood to a temperature of less than 12° C. before the receiving of the blood flow. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising cooling the blood in the flow of blood upstream of a location of the injection of ozone to a temperature of less than 12° C. during the injecting of ozone. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising warming the ozonated blood in a blood flow exiting the apparatus upstream of a location of the injection of ozone. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein injecting the bubbles further comprises injecting microbubbles that have a mean diameter of less than 5 μm. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ozone containing gas comprises less than 10 grams of ozone per cubic meter or wherein the ozone containing gas comprises 5% to 20% ozone by weight and 95% to 80% oxygen by weight. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flow of blood during the injecting is from about 0.1 Liters/hour to about 10 Liters/hour and a flow rate of the ozone containing gas is about 0.01 Liters per hour to about 1 Liter per hour. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising dissolving the bubbles completely in the flow of blood less than 10 seconds after the injecting for the ozonation of the blood. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising injecting the ozone containing gas into the flow of blood at a pressure of less than  1  bar. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising adjusting 1) a flow rate of the blood, 2) an injection pressure of ozone containing gas, and/or 3) a flow rate of ozone containing gas; and preventing or minimizing a coalescence of bubbles during the injecting bubbles of the ozone containing gas by the adjusting. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising performing in vitro ozonation of the blood. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the in-vitro ozonation of the blood is made prior to storage of the blood and providing enhanced storage time of the ozonated blood compared to the blood when not ozonated. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the in-vitro ozonation of the blood is made after storage of the blood and/or before administration of the blood to a patient. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising performing in vivo ozonation of the blood. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising performing therapeutic or preventive treatment of a patient. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising extracting blood from a patient, ozonating the blood, and feeding back the ozonated blood to the patient. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising performing dialysis treatment of the flow of blood of a patient. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising ozonation of the blood in a flow of blood in an apheresis machine, dialysis machine, or heart and lunch machine. 
     
     
         19 . A method for contacting blood with ozone, the method comprising:
 receiving a flow of blood into an ozonation apparatus;   reducing or avoiding foaming of the flow of blood by injecting bubbles of an ozone containing gas into the flow of blood such that the ozone containing gas entrains and dissolves within the flow of blood; and   delivering the flow of blood that is ozonated from the ozonation apparatus.   
     
     
         20 . A method for contacting blood with ozone, the method comprising:
 receiving a flow of blood into an ozonation apparatus;   directing the flow of blood vertically upwards;   injecting bubbles of an ozone containing gas into the flow of blood directed vertically upwards; and   delivering the flow of blood that is ozonated from the ozonation apparatus.