Asahi Kasei Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi

Kenji Inagaki

Naoya Kominami

Nobuaki Tsuda

Noboru Fujikawa

Tadaaki Furuta

Tamotu Imamiya

Kunio Ohno

A dialysis unit and a dialysis apparatus employing the dialysis unit which can perform dialysis at a very high efficiency. The unit comprises a vast plurality of semi-permeable hollow fibers substantially equal in length, which fibers are gathered to form a bundle and bonded in liquid-tight connection at both ends portions thereof. This bundle of hollow fibers is loosely encased in a casing having a plurality of openings substantially uniformly distributed all over the casing. The dialysis unit is put in a dialyzate bath having therein a means for making a forced current of the dialyzate. The dialyzate flows into the casing through the openings and acts upon the bundle of hollow fibers from all directions. Accordingly, the dialyzate can flow freely inside and outside the bundle, while maintaining good contact between the dialyzate and the surfaces of the fibers, even in the inner portion of the bundle. Further, as the bundle is protected by the casing, the fibers will hardly break or hardly slip out of the bundle, even though a forced current of the dialyzate is applied thereto. Therefore, the dialysis can be carried out in a short time with high security.

Dialysis unit and dialysis apparatus employing the dialysis unit

A liquid treatment apparatus which can perform dialysis at a very high efficiency and which is suitable for dialysis of human blood is provided. The apparatus comprises a bundle of a vast plurality of semi-permeable hollow fibers substantially equal in length, which is gathered and bonded only at both end portions thereof. An inside liquid is permitted to flow the interior of the individual hollow fibers. This bundle of hollow fibers is loosely suspended in a vessel having a substantially U-shaped passage for an outside liquid, and the two gathered and bonded portions of the fiber bundle are connected to the vessel at two spaced-apart openings formed on the top face of the vessel. A dialyzate flowing outside the hollow fibers is introduced from an introduction opening formed in the bottom face of the vessel. In this apparatus, because the hollow fibers are suspended in the vessel loosely in an appropriately expanded state, the flow rate of the outside liquid flowing outside the hollow fibers can be increased while maintaining good contact with the suface of the fibers, and therefore, the treatment time can be drastically shortened. Especially good results are obtained when this apparatus is used as an artificial kidney for the cleaning of human bloods.

Liquid treatment apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Ohita, Japan

Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi