Method for extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a process suitable for extracorporeal lung support. The process relies on exposing blood, separated by a semipermeable membrane from the dialysis liquid. The dialysis liquid of the present invention comprises a buffering agent and has a high buffering capacity for H* ions. Carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and hydrogen cations can be efficiently transported across a semipermeable membrane to the dialysis liquid. The present invention also allows for the regeneration and recycling of the dialysis liquid, and thus for its recycling and repeated use. The versatility of the dialysis liquid allows to adjust the pH of the dialysis liquid, add fluids to the dialysis liquid and / or to the blood in the extracorporeal circuit and to remove substances from the blood in the extracorporeal circuit, depending on the conditions and needs. Thus, the present invention is versatile, and suitable for treating or preventing respiratory acidosis, metabolic acidosis, diseases associated with lung malfunction and / or kidney malfunction and / or liver malfunction. For example, when the kidney function is limited, the acid-base balance of the blood can be provided by the method of the present invention; and when the liver function is limited, toxins can be removed from blood by the method of the present invention.

Description

[0001]The present invention generally relates to a process suitable for extracorporeal lung support. In this process, a dialysis liquid is used, and carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and hydrogen cations can be efficiently transported from blood across a semipermeable membrane to the dialysis liquid. The present invention is suitable for treating or preventing a variety of conditions associated with the presence of undesired substances in the blood and / or with undesired blood pH, such as malfunction of the lungs, kidneys and / or liver.[0002]Metabolite Transport in the Blood[0003]One of the metabolites of the vertebrate (human or animal) body, resulting mainly from cellular respiration, is carbon dioxide (CO2). In general, in the vertebrate (human or animal) body, carbon dioxide is produced in peripheral tissues as a result of metabolic activity. In the capillaries of peripheral tissues, carbon dioxide produced in the tissues diffuses down its partial pressure gradient into the blood, mainl...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a way to use a dialysis liquid to help support the lungs when they are not working properly. The process can remove harmful substances from the blood and adjust the pH level, which can help treat or prevent a range of conditions that affect the kidneys, liver, and lungs.

Problems solved by technology

Besides all the positive effects of mechanical ventilation there are also undesired disadvantages: undesired consequences can include, without limitation, the following: reduction in blood perfusion of internal organs, e.g. liver, by up to 30%, decrease in blood pressure, increase in intra-abdominal pressure, decrease in the excretory renal function, ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), barotrauma, volutrauma, atelectrauma, and biotrauma, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia, dyspnea of sedated subjects treated in an intensive care unit (ICU), weaning after about 48 h ventilation (see e.g. Larsen and Ziegenfuß, Beatmung, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, 2013; and Schmidt et al., Intensive Care Med., vol.

However, the extracorporeal introduction of a liquid typically increases the volume of the blood; therefore volume reduction prior to re-introduction of the gas-enriched blood into the human or animal body is required.

Introduction of a gas-saturated or gas-supersaturated liquid increases the risk of bubble formation.

However, in general, the presence of bubbles, particularly oxygen bubbles, can cause undesired denaturation of blood proteins, and therefore, application of these methods and systems requires utmost care in order to minimize bubble formation.

This method is associated with undesired foam formation and with the risk of gas embolism.

This method is not suitable to treat acidosis.

This three-chamber system is relatively complicated, and can be associated with a disadvantageously high flow resistance.

This method is unsuitable for adjusting the acid-base balance and / or electrolyte homeostasis of the blood, and is not suitable for traditional dialysis devices (Cove et al.

Such dialysis liquids are not suitable, let alone adapted, for removal of excess bicarbonate from the blood.

A standard mode of application for liquid breathing has not been established yet.

In view of the number of devices involved, such combined treatments are relatively complicated, and thus difficult to routinely employ in clinical practice.

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