Spallation of Small Particles From Peristaltic Pump Tube Segments

Impact of mechanical stress on flexible tubing used for biomedical applications: Characterization of the damages and impact on the patient's health

Flexible tubing is a key part of a lot of medical devices used in hospital, but may be subjected to a lot of various mechanical stresses that can led to the failure or to complications for the patients. The nature and causes of these mechanical stresses were listed for peristaltic pump tubing, infusion set tubing and catheters. Their consequences in term of tubing damages and particular contamination were reported. The impact of the chemical nature of the tubing, of its size and also the impact of various parameters of the clinical acts were reviewed. Last the consequences for the patient's health were discussed.

Comparison of Artificial Intelligence Control Strategies for a Peristaltically Pumped Low-Pressure Driven Membrane Process

Peristaltic pumping is used in membrane applications where high and sterile sealing is required. However, control is difficult due to the pulsating pump characteristics and the time-varying properties of the system. In this work, three artificial intelligence control strategies (artificial neural networks (ANN), fuzzy logic expert systems, and fuzzy-integrated local models) were used to regulate transmembrane pressure and crossflow velocity in a microfiltration system under high fouling conditions. A pilot plant was used to obtain the necessary data to identify the AI models and to test the controllers. Humic acid was employed as a foulant, and cleaning-in-place with NaOH was used to restore the membrane state. Several starting operating points were studied and setpoint changes were performed to study the plant dynamics under different control strategies. The results showed that the control approaches were able to control the membrane system, but significant differences in the dynamics were observed. The ANN control was able to achieve the specifications but showed poor dynamics. Expert control was fast but showed problems in different working areas. Local models required less data than ANN, achieving high accuracy and robustness. Therefore, the technique to be used will depend on the available information and the application dynamics requirements.

Novel Cellulose Acetate-Based Monophasic Hybrid Membranes for Improved Blood Purification Devices: Characterization under Dynamic Conditions

A novel cellulose acetate-based monophasic hybrid skinned amine-functionalized CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane was synthesized using an innovative method which combines the phase inversion and sol-gel techniques. Morphological characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the chemical composition was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection mode (ATR-FTIR). The characterization of the monophasic hybrid CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane in terms of permeation properties was carried out in an in-house-built single hemodialysis membrane module (SHDMM) under dynamic conditions. Permeation experiments were performed to determine the hydraulic permeability (Lp), molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and the rejection coefficients to urea, creatinine, uric acid, and albumin. SEM confirmed the existence of a very thin (<1 µm) top dense layer and a much thicker bottom porous surface, and ATR-FTIR showed the main bands belonging to the CA-based membranes. Permeation studies revealed that the Lp and MWCO of the CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane were 66.61 kg·h-1·m-2·bar-1 and 24.5 kDa, respectively, and that the Lp was 1.8 times higher compared to a pure CA membrane. Furthermore, the CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane fully permeated urea, creatinine, and uric acid while completely retaining albumin. Long-term filtration studies of albumin solutions indicated that fouling does not occur at the surface of the CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane.

Investigating the static or dynamic flexural and compressive stresses on flexible tubing: Comparison of clamp and peristaltic pump impact on surface damages and particles leaching during infusion acts

This paper deals with the impact of the mechanical stresses on plasticized PVC infusion tubing. Stresses due to clamping were compared to those due to the use of a peristaltic pump. The degradation of the inner surface of plastic tubing due to a dynamic load with repeated flexion and compression was extensively studied in the case of peristaltic pump stress during extracorporeal (EC) acts. Even if clamping results in a less repeated stress, we show it can also lead to damages on the inner lumen of the tubing, especially in static conditions. As these degradations were responsible of particle shedding in the case of EC processes, a first evaluation of particular contamination was performed on the stressed infusion tubes.

Artificial Organs 2017: A Year in Review

In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2017 are organized by category and summarized. We provide a brief reflection of the research and progress in artificial organs intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of these technologies and methods. Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level." Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration from all over the world. Peer-reviewed Special Issues this year included contributions from the 12th International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion edited by Dr. Akif Undar, Artificial Oxygen Carriers edited by Drs. Akira Kawaguchi and Jan Simoni, the 24th Congress of the International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support edited by Dr. Toru Masuzawa, Challenges in the Field of Biomedical Devices: A Multidisciplinary Perspective edited by Dr. Vincenzo Piemonte and colleagues and Functional Electrical Stimulation edited by Dr. Winfried Mayr and colleagues. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, John Wiley & Sons for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. We look forward to reporting further advances in the coming years.