JPS59164065A - Simple cooler - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a simple cooler for cooling plasma, etc. separated during extracorporeal circulation, for example in plasma separation therapy.

In recent years, plasma separation methods have attracted attention as a treatment for renal failure, liver failure, immune diseases, and the like. This method generally separates blood drawn from a patient into blood cell components and plasma components, replaces some or all of the plasma components with a replacement fluid, recombines with the blood cell components, and returns the blood to the patient. There are two methods: a centrifugal plasma separation method that separates plasma using plasma, and a vortex plasma separation method that uses a membrane to separate plasma.

The vortex plasma separation method is further divided into a double filtration plasma separation method and a double filtration plasma separation method. The double filtration plasma separation method uses two types of filters with different molecular weight fractions, and the first stage filter separates blood into blood cell components and plasma components, and this plasma component is further passed through the second stage filtration. In this method, harmful high-molecular weight substances and low-molecular weight substances are separated in a vessel, only the harmful high-molecular weight substances are selectively removed, and the low-molecular weight substances are returned to the body along with blood cell components.

In the double filtration plasma separation method, the plasma components separated by the second stage filter are cooled, and the harmful polymer substances in the plasma components passing through the filter are coagulated into a gel-like substance. There is a method called cryofillage that selectively removes .

When performing this cryofiltration, the plasma components separated in the second stage filter are collected from j℃! θ
It is necessary to cool it down to about 30°F, so it is essential to incorporate a cooling mechanism into the system.

Conventional cooling mechanisms incorporate a gas compression type refrigerator into the system, making it difficult to miniaturize the device and contributing to high costs.

In order to solve this problem, the inventors of the present invention have made repeated efforts to solve this problem, and as a result, they have arrived at the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a simple cooler that is small, lightweight, and low cost and can sufficiently perform a cooling function.

In order to achieve this objective, the simple cooler according to the present invention is configured such that a flexible bag containing a refrigerant is installed in an openable and closable box, and after pre-cooling, the object to be cooled can be cooled. It is characterized by

Note that the object to be cooled is an object that needs to be kept in a cooled state for a certain period of time, and the objects to be cooled used in the present invention are a filter used in cryofillage and a fluid circuit for plasma components.

The present invention will be explained in detail below based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a cooler according to the present invention. / is a heat insulating material case, λ is a heat insulating material, 3 is a refrigerant bag, and g is a filter. Refrigerant bag 3 which is a flexible bag
has a shape that wraps around the object to be cooled, the filter, from both sides. The refrigerant in the refrigerant bag 3 is preferably gel-like in order to improve its adhesion to the object to be cooled, and preferably has a large latent heat in order to reduce the amount used.

Usually, an aqueous ethylene glycol solution containing a gel or the like is suitable. Insulation again! This prevents absorption of heat from the outside, resulting in less wasteful cooling and a high cooling capacity.

How to use it is to attach a dummy with the same shape as the object to be cooled, store it in the freezer (-10℃) for about an hour with the box open, and when using it, remove the dummy and attach the object to be cooled. is preferably sterile filtered 1'W'l
It is convenient to handle and easy to work with.

In the case of cryofiltration, the object to be cooled is usually the second-stage filter, and by cooling the entire filter, the plasma components flowing through the filter are cooled, and the filter is cooled. If you want to further cool the plasma components, use the same procedure to cool the fluid circuit through which the plasma components flow, cooling the plasma components before they enter the filter. You may.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment in the case of fluid circuit cooling, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-AI in FIG.

l/ is the insulation case, /2 is the insulation material, /3 is the refrigerant bag, /
4t is a circuit support plate, and /Y is a fluid circuit. That is, the seventh
In the figure, the object to be cooled is a filter, or the object to be cooled in FIGS. 1 and 3 is a fluid circuit /j for plasma components.

The circuit support plate/≠ is preferably made of a highly thermally conductive material such as a flat metal plate such as aluminum or copper.

When the object to be cooled is made of a lexical material, the plasma component fluid circuit /j used to support the shape is a flexible bag made of a thin vinyl chloride sheet or the like. The bag /3 filled with refrigerant is in close contact with the circuit support plate 1lI-,
It has a shape in which the fluid circuit /j is sandwiched from both sides via a highly thermally conductive material. Furthermore, the heat insulating material 7.2 prevents absorption of heat from the outside, so there is little waste in cooling.

How to use: Place the entire cooler in the freezer, 241. Store for about an hour, and close the object to be cooled before use. The amount of refrigerant required is sufficient to provide sufficient cooling capacity simply by storing it in the freezer and lowering the temperature. If the cooling temperature of the fluid passing through the plasma component fluid circuit lj, which is the object to be cooled, is to be further lowered, it is better to increase the area of the plasma component fluid circuit 7.5', and the fluid circuit shown in FIG. Connect one cooler.

In the case of cryofiltration, it is essential to cool the second-stage filter in order to cool the polymeric substances in the plasma components into a gel-like state within the second-stage filter, and a strong cooling capacity is usually required. Therefore, it is preferable to use a cold extrusion machine that combines the systems shown in Figures 1 and 2. FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of this embodiment. 10/ is the insulation shrine case, 10.2
is the insulation material, 103 is the refrigerant bag, /Qll is the filter, 105
is a circuit support plate, and IOT is a fluid circuit for plasma components.

The results of experiments conducted using the cooler according to the present invention are shown below. The coolers used in the experiment were based on the three types of coolers explained above, namely, Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure ≠. The experiment was conducted using a variety of materials and taking care to ensure that the conditions were the same. Case 2 time? @Freezer (-10℃) (After storage, tap water is used as the object to be cooled, and the flow rate is set to 10I.
Table 1 shows the outlet water temperature in each cooler after 30 minutes when II/W#I.

As is clear from Table 1, the simple cooler according to the present invention can sufficiently perform the cooling function, and by using the cooler according to the present invention instead of the conventional refrigerator, the entire plasma separation equipment can be It has become possible to reduce the size, weight, and cost of the device.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to use as a plasma separation device, and that various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1, 2, and ≠ are perspective views of an embodiment of a simple cooler according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A' in FIGS. /, //, 10/ Insulating material case 2, /, 2.10.2 Insulating material 3, /3.103 Refrigerant bag≠, 10II-Object to be cooled (filter) /≠, 10j Circuit support plate /j Fluid Circuit 10B Fluid circuit patent applicant Nippon Kiso Co., Ltd. Representative Patent attorney Atsuo Maeda: FIG-, 1 FlcT-, 2)”l (Th, 3 Fl(1-, 4 /σ/

Claims (1)

[Claims] A flexible bag filled with refrigerant is installed in an openable and closable box with insulation on the inner wall, and after the refrigerant material has been cooled in advance, an object to be cooled is attached to lower the temperature. A simple cooler characterized by: