Patent ID: 7846121

Claim:
Device for extracorporeal irradiation of a bodily fluid from a patient past the onset of puberty, said bodily fluid containing bilirubin, comprising a first and a second line which can be connected to the patient, an impermeable irradiation unit for bodily fluids connected therewith and located between the first and the second lines, and at least one adjustable feed unit for bodily fluids located in the first and/or the second line, wherein a feed unit for bodily fluids is configured to provide an adjustable flow of bodily fluid through the lines and the irradiation unit for bodily fluids in which the first line is configured to continually circulate the bodily fluid drawn from the patient and route it to the irradiation unit for bodily fluids, and the second line is configured to continually circulate the irradiated bodily fluid to the patient, and in which the irradiation unit for bodily fluids contains a radiation source for the emission of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength greater than 430 nm and an irradiation intensity of greater than 4 μW/(cm 2 nm) as applied directly to said bodily fluids in said irradiation unit, the device further comprising a plasma filter or cell separator with a cell-containing side and a cell-free side, wherein a fluid feed inlet to the cell-containing side is connected to a third patient-connectable line, a fluid discharge outlet from the cell-containing side is connected to a fourth patient-connectable line, a fluid discharge outlet from the cell-free side is connected to the first line, and a fluid feed inlet to the cell-free side is connected to the second line, said device configured to irradiate free and bound bilirubin obtained from said bodily fluid, and configured for use with a patient past the onset of puberty.