JPH026538B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Background of the Invention (1) Technical Field The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber type artificial organ using a large number of porous hollow fibers as a mass exchange membrane.

(2) Prior art and its problems Artificial technology in which porous hollow fiber bundles are housed in a cylindrical envelope approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the envelope, and substances are exchanged via the hollow fiber membranes. Organs such as artificial kidneys and artificial lungs are known.

However, in conventional artificial organs of this type, after the porous hollow fibers are fixed in the envelope using a sealing agent and a potting agent, each hollow fiber is opened at a predetermined end of the hollow fiber bundle. Because it is made by applying a cutting blade from one side and pressing the cutting blade or the hollow fiber bundle to cut it, the inlet port and outlet port for communicating with the outer passage of the hollow fiber are in the potting agent-filled part. It cannot be provided across the
That is, it had to be provided in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the envelope.

Therefore, the gas or liquid flowing through the hollow fiber outer passage does not flow uniformly through the hollow fiber outer passage, resulting in a problem that short circuits are likely to occur.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an artificial organ in which gas or liquid flowing through a porous hollow fiber outer passage can flow as uniformly as possible throughout the porous hollow fiber bundle housed in an envelope. With the goal.

That is, the present invention includes the steps of: inserting a core into an envelope; inserting a hollow fiber bundle into a space formed between the outer periphery of the core and the inner wall of the envelope; and inserting a hollow fiber bundle coaxially with the core. Inserting the first port into the end of the envelope; Temporarily fixing the end of the hollow fiber bundle to the envelope and the first port using a liquid sealant; Inserting the potting agent using a centrifuge. a step of liquid-tightly fixing the hollow fiber bundle to the envelope and the first port; rotating the envelope around the axis and turning the cutting blade perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber bundle to fix the hollow fiber bundle in a liquid-tight manner; The process includes the steps of applying the cap to a predetermined location on the end of the fiber bundle and cutting the hollow fiber bundle leaving a first port; and fitting a cap having a second port to the end of the envelope. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber type artificial organ characterized by the following.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below with reference to an illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a cross-section of an oxygenator manufactured by the method of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a cylindrical envelope, which has a cylindrical or columnar shape at its center and has both ends. A conically protruding core 2 is provided coaxially. Potting agent layers 4a and 4b (made of polyurethane, for example) are provided near both ends of the envelope 1 and are fixed to the outer wall of the collar of the first fluid port, which will be described later. There is. Furthermore, the inner wall of the envelope 1 and the core 2
A large number of porous hollow fibers 5 are arranged in a cylindrical space surrounded by the outer wall of the cylindrical space so as to be spaced apart from each other, substantially parallel to each other, and oriented in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical space. Both ends of these porous hollow fibers 5 penetrate through the potting agent layers 4a and 4b, and the second
fluid ports 6a, 6b and potting agent layer 4a,
The potting agent layers 4a and 4b are supported by the potting agent layers 4a and 4b so as to open into the cavities 3a and 3b formed between the potting agent layers 4b. Therefore, the central portion of the envelope 1 partitioned by the potting agent layers 4a and 4b has a flow path passing through the inside of the hollow fiber 5 and a flow path passing through the outside thereof. The flow path will be divided into two.

Second ports 6a, 6b are provided at both ends of the envelope 1, respectively, so as to communicate with the cavities 3a, 3b. Therefore, the flow path passing inside the hollow fiber 5 is connected to these second ports 6.
It communicates with a and 6b. Second port 6a, 6
b is provided in a so-called donut-shaped cap, and is fixed to the outer periphery of the end of the envelope 1 and the inner wall end of the collar of first ports 7a and 7b, which will be described later. This fixing may be done by physical means such as screwing or fitting, or by a method using ultrasonic waves, high frequency welding, adhesive, or the like.

A first port 7 is located at the center of both ends of the envelope 1.
a, 7b are provided protrudingly, 7a is a fluid outlet;
7b has a fluid inlet. Each port 7a,
The base ends of 7b are open toward the conical tops at both ends of the core 2, respectively. Also ports 7a and 7b
has collars 10a, 10b extending from the proximal outer edge toward the fluid inlet or outlet. Furthermore, a conical wall surface extends from the base ends of the ports 7a and 7b so as to face the conical surface of the core 2,
Radial passages 8a and 8b extending from the proximal ends of the ports 7a and 7b to the outer passages of the hollow fibers 5 are formed. Therefore, the ports 7a and 7b communicate with the outer passage of the hollow fiber 5.

This artificial lung can be manufactured in substantially the same manner as in the conventional case. That is,
First, the core 2 is inserted into the envelope, and then the hollow system bundle is inserted almost uniformly into the space formed by the outer periphery of the core 2 and the inner wall of the envelope 1. Next core 2
Insert the first port coaxially with the Then, the hollow fiber bundle is temporarily fixed to the envelope 1 and the first ports 7a and 7b using a donut-shaped cup (not shown) filled with an adhesive resin similar to the potting material.
Then, the outer periphery is fixed to a centrifuge, and while centrifuging, a potting material is press-fitted from the open end of the first port to fix the hollow fiber bundle to the envelope and the first port in a liquid-tight manner. The process of cutting the porous hollow fibers in the unnecessary portions including the sealant-filled portions needs to be carried out as follows. That is, in the artificial organ of the present invention, the first ports 7a and 7b that communicate with the outer flow path of the porous hollow fiber 5 protrude from the axial center of both ends of the potted structure. Unlike the above, a cutting method as shown in FIG. 2 is adopted. That is, while rotating the potted structure about the axis in the direction of the arrow "a", the cutting blade 9 is applied to the hollow fibers 5 to cut them. According to this method, it becomes possible to cut the hollow fiber 5 without the presence of the first ports 7a, 7b getting in the way.

When using the oxygenator shown in FIG.
introduced from the radial passage 8b, uniformly distributed in the outer passage of the hollow fiber 5, and then discharged again from the first port 7a via the radial passage 8a at the other end,
Circulate. At the same time, an oxygen supply gas (for example, an oxygen-enriched gas) (or blood) is introduced from the second port 6a to each porous hollow fiber 5 through the cavity 3a.
The particles are dispersed uniformly into the fibers, passed through the inside of the hollow fiber 5, collected again in the cavity 3b at the other end, and discharged to the outside via the second port 6b.

Note that in the above embodiment, the second port 6
A, 6b, and the first ports 7a, 7b are provided protruding in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the envelope 1, but this is not necessarily the case. It may also be derived.

Further, in the above embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to an artificial lung has been described, but it goes without saying that it can also be applied to other artificial kidneys and the like.

Specific Effects of the Invention As detailed above, according to the method of the present invention, the first ports 7a, 7 as well as the hollow fiber bundle and core
b was incorporated into the artificial organ structure and protruded from the axis of the artificial organ structure, and in that state they were fixed liquid-tight with a potting agent, so there was no possibility of gas leakage between the two passages within the artificial organ. Alternatively, there is no risk of liquid leakage, and since the unnecessary portion of the potted hollow fiber bundle is cut while rotating the artificial organ structure around its axis, the first part protruding from the axis port 7
It became possible to selectively cut only the hollow fiber bundle portion without fear of cutting fibers a and 7b.

In addition, by adopting the configuration in which the first ports 7a and 7b protrude from both ends of the artificial organ structure, the structure becomes simpler than the conventional structure in which these ports protrude from the side, and manufacturing costs are reduced. It is clear that this can be achieved. In addition, in the artificial organ created in this way, gas or liquid passage introduction and discharge ports that communicate with the outer passages of the porous hollow fibers are provided at the axis of the envelope. Uniform dispersion over the entire thread becomes easy, making it possible to significantly improve the processing efficiency of blood, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an artificial lung manufactured by the method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the method of manufacturing an artificial organ of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Envelope, 2... Core, 3a, 3b... Cavity part, 4a, 4b... Potting agent layer, 5... Porous hollow fiber, 6a, 6b... Second port, 7
a, 7b...first port, 8a, 8b...radial passage, 9...cutting blade.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A step of inserting a core into the envelope; a step of inserting a hollow fiber bundle into the space formed between the outer periphery of the core and the inner wall of the envelope; and a step of inserting a first hollow fiber bundle coaxially with the core.
temporarily fixing the end of the hollow fiber bundle to the envelope and the first port using a liquid sealant; using a potting agent using a centrifuge; The hollow fiber bundle is placed between the envelope and the first
A step of fixing the envelope liquid-tightly to the port of the hollow fiber bundle; while rotating the envelope around its axis, the cutting blade is applied perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber bundle to a predetermined location on the end of the hollow fiber bundle; A hollow fiber type artificial organ characterized by comprising the steps of: cutting the hollow fiber bundle leaving one port; and fitting a cap having a second port to the end of the envelope. Production method.