Patent ID: 7520992
Filing Date: 2009-04-21
Classification: A61M,B01D

Abstract:
1. A very large pore hemofiltration system for removing target molecules and target complex molecules from a patient's blood, comprising: a blood flow circuit operable to remove a portion of the patient's blood to a very large pore hemofilter and return an unsieved portion of the patient's blood; the very large pore hemofilter operably coupled with the blood flow circuit to allow the portion of the patient's blood to flow therethrough; the very large pore hemofilter having a molecular weight cutoff of between about 150,000 Daltons and about 1,000,000 Daltons and selected to avoid removal of significant amounts of immunoglobins and operable to form the unsieved filtered bloodstream portion and an ultrafiltrate stream containing the target molecules and the target complex molecules removed from the portion of the patient's blood flowing through the very large pore hemofilter; a fluid source operable to supply a plasma colloid replacement fluid to the patient's blood; the plasma colloid replacement fluid comprising clean target receptor molecules, clean carrier molecules and/or clean receptor molecules to adequately replenish ongoing losses in the form of target complex molecules removed from the portion of the patient's blood flowing through the very large pore hemofilter; the clean target receptor molecules, clean carrier molecules and/or clean receptor molecules operable to combine with additional inflammatory mediators and toxins from tissue spaces and tissue binding sites in the patient when the filtered bloodstream is transferred to the patient; whereby the clean target receptor molecules, clean carrier molecules and/or clean receptor molecules combine with the additional inflammatory mediators and toxins to form target complex molecules which may be removed by the very large pore hemofilter from the portion of the patient's blood flowing therethrough; and the replacement fluid operable to provide sufficient clean albumin to maintain adequate plasma oncotic pressure at ultrafiltration rates between approximately one liter per hour and twenty liters per hour.