We demonstrate a methodology which both improves oxygen transport and reduces or eliminates bubble formation in a novel hyperbaric membrane oxygenator catheter model system. Angular oscillations were introduced to a bundle of hollow fiber membranes (HFMs) supplied with hyperbaric 100% oxygen at average gauge pressures up to 0.35 barg. Oscillating bundles enabled delivery of an oxygen flux of up to 400 mL min-1 m-2 in an aqueous solution, a doubling over a previous non-oscillating setup. Similarly, the addition of angular oscillations facilitated a five-fold reduction in pressure to achieve similar oxygen flux. The increased angular speed of oscillation improved flux, while the addition of angular micro-oscillation variations resulted in flux reductions of 7-20% compared to continuous macro-oscillation only, depending on mixing conditions. However, semi-quantitative visual observation demonstrated that angular oscillations reduced or eliminated the instance of oxygen bubble formation on the HFMs. The modeled mass transfer coefficients indicated a quasi linear relationship between rotational velocity and flux, suggesting that faster oscillation speeds could further improve oxygen mass transport allowing for HFM bundles to maintain high oxygen fluxes while eliminating bubble formation. This encourages further development of our compact oxygenating catheter that could be used intravascularly.
Keywords: Acute respiratory distress syndrome; Artificial lung; Bubbleless aeration; Hypoxic respiratory failure; Intravascular oxygenator catheter.
© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Biomedical Engineering Society.