Sterilisation of blood from patient with bacterial, parasitic or viral disease - e.g. AIDS or malaria, using sterilising gas circulating in closed blood circuit

摘要

In treating blood from patients with bacterial, parasitic or viral blood diseases, e.g. AIDS or malaria, with a sterilising gas, to kill bacteria, parasites or viruses in the plasma and in the blood cells, the blood is sterilised in a closed blood circuit, by a sterilising gas also circulating in a closed circuit. The blood is fed into a sterilisation chamber and left in contact with the gas for a sufficient time to sterilise the blood, and is then transferred to a degassing chamber to remove residual gas. Also claimed is the appts. comprising an inlet (E) with 2 valves (A1, A2) for feeding a suitable vol. of blood into the sterilisation chamber (ST). The sterilisation chamber is connected to the gas cycle by a gas inlet pipe controlled by a valve (C1) and a gas withdrawal pipe controlled by a valve (C2) and a pump (P1) for re-filling the reservoir (G1). A manometer (M) allows of supervision of the gas pressure. A heater/cooler (CL) heats the gas to the required blood temp., indicated by a thermometer (T). The appts. includes a pipe (P), for transferring the blood, through valves (B1, B2), to a degassing chamber (DEG), for removing residual gas from the blood by a pump (P2). The degassing chamber is connected to a pipe (S), controlled by 2 valves (D1, D2) and leading to a reservoir for re-injection of the blood into the patient. There are two opt. pumps: (P3) for passing the blood from the sterilisation chamber to the degassing chamber, and (P4) for passing the blood from the degassing chamber to the re-injection reservoir. The valves in the appts. are unidirectional. Those in the blood circuit allow circulation of the blood only in the direction: uptake - sterilisation chamber - degassing chamber - reservoir for re-injection into the patient. Those in the gas circuit allow passage of the gas in the direction: reservoir - C1 - sterilisation chamber -C2 - reservoir. There is a heater/cooler in the sterilisation chamber to heat and cool the sterilisation gas, and a thermometer to indicate the temp. of the blood, which can vary between 4 and 44 deg.C. The pressure of the sterilisation gas can be varied using a valve (C1), a valve (C2) and a pump (P1), and is registered by a manometer (M). After sterilisation, the gas can be re-filled into its reservoir, and then be fed several times into the sterilisation chamber. All sterilisation gases can be used in the appts., including Cl2 and 03, which have known sterilising power and are used in sterilising drinking water; 100% 02, which does not decompose; CO2, alone or mixed 40-100% with 02; it does not decompose except at high temps. The gas may be a single gas or a mixt. The process involves the combination of the sterilising power of the gas(es), reheating and cooling, variation of the gas pressure, and repetition of the sterilisation cycle. ADVANTAGE - The blood is sterilised outside the body and then re-injected into the patient, whose immune defence system is activated. Doctors, nurses and carers are protected.