Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for extracorporeal lung assist including a pump device having a flexible blood reservoir housed in a rigid housing, which pump device is able to expand and contract the blood reservoir by pumping liquid into and from the housing, thereby repeating cycles of blood feed and blood take-off, a blood take-off circuit connected to the in-flow side of a membrane artificial lung and in which the pump device is disposed, a blood feed circuit connected to the out-flow side of the membrane artificial lung, the two circuits forming an extracorporeal circulation circuit, a liquid circulation circuit connected to the housing of the pump device and having a flexible liquid reservoir disposed therein with a head provided relative to the pump device, and sensors for detecting the expansion and contraction of the liquid reservoirs, whereby blood in-flow and out-flow paths are controlled so that when the blood reservoir is contracted, blood is drawn into the blood reservoir under subpressure in the housing, whereas when the blood reservoir is expanded, blood is discharged from the blood reservoir under pressure developed in the housing. The apparatus of the invention provides respiratory aids safely for a long period of time and is therefore useful for treatment of acute respiratory failure cases.

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First Claim