Magnetic filter apparatus and method
Inventors
FRODSHAM, George Charles Martin • Pankhurst, Quentin Andrew • WENMAN, Richard Alan • Hattersley, Simon Richard
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-11986585-B2
Publication Date
2024-05-21
Expiration Date
Abstract
A hemofilter system. In one embodiment, the hemofilter system includes a container having a first surface, a second surface, and one or more wall surfaces, the first surface, the second surface and the one or more wall surfaces defining a volume; an input port in fluid communication with the first surface; an output port in fluid communication with the second surface; a filter bed comprising a plurality of planar magnetic meshes stacked in close juxtaposition and positioned within the container volume and coplanar with the first and second surfaces; a first magnet positioned on a first surface of the container; a second magnet positioned on the second surface of the container; a first input conduit in fluid communication with the input port; and a first output conduit in fluid communication with the output port. In another embodiment, the hemofilter system includes a pump in the input conduit.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a magnetic hemofilter assembly that includes a removable filter housing defining an input port, an output port, and one or more volumes within the filter housing, with a stack of a plurality of meshes disposed within the filter housing. The plurality of meshes includes a first mesh, and each mesh includes a plurality of wires comprising a magnetizable material. Blood received from the input port flows through the stack in a direction of flow perpendicular to a surface of the plurality of meshes, so that flow of blood through the stack is perpendicular to blood flowing in the input port and blood flowing in the output port.
The assembly includes a first permanent magnet that produces a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the stack of meshes and sufficiently strong to induce a magnetic field in the magnetizable material such that a high magnetic field gradient is generated in one or more regions near a surface of each wire. Blood-borne magnetic targets are captured in one or more regions having the high magnetic field gradient, with the direction of flow parallel to a direction of a magnetizing field.
In some embodiments, a removable filter housing includes inner surfaces and side surfaces where the surface area of first inner and second inner surfaces is larger than the surface area of one or more side surfaces, and the removable filter includes an anticoagulant coating applied to one or more inner surfaces. The internal flow arrangement supports blood filtration at one or more flow rates selected from rates of flow of blood to and rates of flow from a human artery or vein.
Claims Coverage
The partial content identifies two independent claims, each defining a magnetic hemofilter assembly with inventive features relating to magnetic field orientation, high magnetic field gradients near magnetizable wire surfaces, and blood flow direction through a mesh stack. Dependent claim refinements in the provided claim set additionally introduce magnet quantity/placement, anticoagulant coating, flow-dispersal, internal volume geometry, and constraints associated with flow regimes and mesh geometry.
Perpendicular blood-through-mesh flow with parallel magnetizing field direction
Blood flows in from an input port and then through the stack in a direction of flow perpendicular to a surface of the plurality of meshes, where flow through the stack is perpendicular to blood flowing in the input port and blood flowing in the output port, and the direction of flow is parallel to a direction of a magnetizing field.
High magnetic field gradients near magnetizable wire surfaces for capturing blood-borne targets
A first permanent magnet produces a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the stack of meshes and sufficiently strong to induce a magnetic field in the magnetizable material such that a high magnetic field gradient is generated in one or more regions near a surface of each wire, wherein blood-borne magnetic targets are captured in one or more regions having the high magnetic field gradient.
Removable filter housing with input/output ports receiving blood through a mesh stack
A removable filter housing defines an input port and an output port, with one or more volumes within the filter housing, and blood received from the input port flows through the stack in a direction of flow perpendicular to a surface of the plurality of meshes.
Removable filter housing inner-surface area larger than side-surface area with anticoagulant coating
A removable filter housing comprises a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and one or more side surfaces, where surface area of the first inner surface and the second inner surface is larger than a surface area of one or more side surfaces; the removable filter includes an anticoagulant coating applied to one or more inner surfaces.
Flow disperser for spreading blood over larger-area surfaces
A flow disperser is included that uses a removable filter housing with larger-area surfaces to divert incoming blood so it spreads over the flow disperser, where the flow disperser has an angular, progressively wider-and-flatter shape in the blood-flow direction.
Defined internal volume geometry and pressure-based receiving configuration
A volume is defined to receive blood at a first blood pressure, with substantially rectangular cross-sections and corners defined at least in part by continuous non-orthogonal surfaces where side surfaces meet the first and second inner surfaces.
Across the identified independent claims, the core claimed inventive structure centers on a permanent magnet producing a high magnetic field gradient near magnetizable wire surfaces in a mesh stack, while blood flow is arranged to pass perpendicular to the mesh surfaces and in a direction parallel to the magnetizing field. Dependent claim features in the provided material further refine the hemofilter assembly with anticoagulant coating, housing surface-area shaping, flow dispersal, and defined internal volume geometry and pressure-based configuration.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
Interested in licensing this patent?