Patent ID: 6936222

Claim:
A compliant blood gas exchanger for enabling oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in circulating venous blood, the compliant blood gas exchanger comprising: a housing having a first end, a second end, and an elastomeric sidewall extending there between, the elastomeric sidewall bounding a chamber, the chamber being in communication with a blood inlet and a blood outlet; a first mounting collar disposed at least partially within the housing at the first end of the housing, the first mounting collar being in communication with a gas inlet; a second mounting collar disposed at least partially within the housing at the second end of the housing, the second mounting collar being in communication with a gas outlet; and a plurality of hollow fibers, each of the plurality of fibers having a first end secured by the first mounting collar and a second end secured by the second mounting collar, the plurality of hollow fibers comprising two sizes of fibers interwoven together, each of the plurality of fibers having a porous surface through which the plurality of hollow fibers is capable of gaseous exchange but not liquid exchange.