A Rigid Parallel-Plate Oxygenator Prototype with a Computational Fluid Dynamics Informed Blood Flow Path for Artificial Placenta Applications

Extremely preterm infants have poor clinical outcomes due to lung immaturity. An artificial placenta could provide extracorporeal gas exchange, allowing normal lung growth outside of the uterus, thus improving outcomes. However, current devices in development use hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators, which have a high rate of bleeding and clotting complications. Here, we present a novel style of oxygenator composed of a stacked array of rigid and flat silicon semi-permeable membranes. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, we demonstrated potentially favorable hemocompatibility properties, including laminar blood flow, low pressure drop, and minimal cumulative shear stress. We then constructed and tested prototype devices on the benchtop and in an extracorporeal pig model. At 20 mL/min of blood flow, the oxygenators exhibited an average oxygen flux of 0.081 ± 0.020 mL (mean ± standard error) and a pressure drop of 2.25 ± 0.25 mmHg. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a building a stacked flatplate oxygenator with a blood flow path informed by CFD.