the disclosure pertains to a blood processing apparatus that combines , in a single structure , a heat exchanger , a gas exchanger or oxygenator and an arterial filter . in some embodiments , the term oxygenator may be used to refer to a structure that combines a heat exchanger , a gas exchanger and an arterial filter in a unitary device . in some embodiments , an oxygenator may be used in an extracorporeal blood circuit . an extracorporeal blood circuit , such as may be used in a bypass procedure , may include several different elements such as a heart - lung machine , a blood reservoir , as well as an oxygenator . in some embodiments , by combining the arterial filter with the oxygenator , the tubing set used to create the extracorporeal blood circuit may be reduced in complexity or number of parts and thus may simplify the extracorporeal blood circuit . in some embodiments , this will reduce the priming volume of the extracorporeal blood circuit . fig1 is a schematic illustration of a blood processing apparatus or oxygenator 10 . while the internal components are not visible in this illustration , the oxygenator 10 may include one or more of a heat exchanger , a gas exchanger and an arterial filter . according to some embodiments , each of the heat exchanger , gas exchanger and arterial filter are integrated into a single structure that forms an oxygenator housing . the oxygenator 10 includes a device compartment or housing 12 and an arterial filter compartment or housing 14 . in some embodiments , the arterial filter housing 14 may be integrally molded or otherwise structurally integrated with the device housing 12 . in some cases , the arterial filter housing 14 may be separately formed and then secured or otherwise coupled to the device housing 12 . according to various embodiments the heat exchanger , the gas exchanger , and the arterial filter housing 14 may have a cross - section shaped generally as a circle or as a parallelogram ( e . g ., a square or rectangle ). each of the heat exchanger , the gas exchanger and the arterial filter housing 14 may have generally the same sectional shape or each may have a different sectional shape . in some embodiments , a blood inlet 16 extends through the arterial filter housing 14 and into the device housing 12 . a blood outlet 18 exits the arterial filter housing 14 . as noted , in some embodiments the oxygenator 10 includes a gas exchanger and thus may include a gas inlet 20 and a gas outlet 22 . in some embodiments , the oxygenator 10 includes a heat exchanger and thus may include a heating fluid inlet 24 and a heating fluid outlet 26 . as will be explained in greater detail with respect to fig2 , the oxygenator 10 includes a first purge port 28 and a second purge port 30 . it is to be understood that the positions of the inlets , outlets and purge ports are merely illustrative , as other arrangements and configurations are contemplated . the purge ports may include a valve or a threaded cap . the purge ports operate to permit gases ( e . g ., air bubbles ) that exit the blood to be vented or aspirated and removed from the oxygenator . fig2 is a cross - sectional view of the oxygenator 10 , illustrating internal components and an example of how blood can flow through the oxygenator 10 . the oxygenator 10 includes a heat exchanger 32 and a gas exchanger 34 . in some embodiments , the heat exchanger 32 includes a number of hollow fibers through which a heating fluid such as water can flow . the blood may flow around and past the hollow fibers and thus be suitably heated . in some embodiments , the hollow fibers may be polymeric . in some cases , metallic fibers may be used within the heat exchanger 32 . according to other embodiments , the heat exchanger 32 includes a metal bellows or other structure comprising a substantial surface area ( e . g ., fins ) for facilitating heat transfer with the blood . in some embodiments the gas exchanger 34 may include a number of hollow fibers through which a gas such as oxygen may flow . the blood may flow around and past the hollow fibers . due to concentration gradients , oxygen may diffuse through the hollow fibers into the blood while carbon dioxide may diffuse into the hollow fibers and out of the blood . the oxygenator 10 , according to some embodiments , includes an annular space 36 into which blood may flow as the blood exits the gas exchanger 34 . as illustrated , the annular space 36 may extend into the arterial filter housing 14 . according to exemplary embodiments , the annular space 16 may be generally circular or generally rectangular . the arterial filter housing 14 includes a filter 38 . in some embodiments , the filter 38 includes an annular frame 40 and a net or mesh 42 spanning the annular frame 40 . in some embodiments , the filter 38 may be considered as dividing a volume within the arterial filter housing 14 into a first chamber 44 and a second chamber 46 . in various embodiments , the annular frame 40 and the net or mesh 42 are disposed concentrically with respect to the filter housing 14 . in other embodiments the annular frame 40 and the mesh 42 are disposed about the housing 14 in a non - concentric manner . according to exemplary embodiments , the internal ( i . e ., priming ) volume of the arterial filter housing 14 is between about 80 and about 110 ml . according to other embodiments , the priming volume is between about 90 and about 100 ml . an opening 48 that may extend circumferentially up to about 360 degrees provides fluid communication between the annular space 36 and the first chamber 44 . while blood is in the first chamber 44 , any air bubbles that are present within the blood may be vented through the first purge port 28 . blood may pass through the filter 38 and into the second chamber 46 . any bubbles remaining in the blood , or caused by passage through the filter 38 , may be vented through the second purge port 30 . blood may then exit the oxygenator 10 through the blood outlet 18 . the presence of the first purge port 28 in the first chamber 44 and the second purge port 30 in the second chamber 46 , according to various embodiments , will improve the priming speed due to the fact that bubbles present in the blood have both a first and a second opportunity to exit through a purge port . moreover , in these embodiments , the efficacy of the bubble or gas removal is improved , again due to the fact that bubbles present in the blood have both a first and a second opportunity to exit through a purge port . in some embodiments , the blood flow may be altered somewhat . for example , in some cases , the opening 48 may be positioned to provide fluid communication between the annular space 36 and the second chamber 46 while the blood outlet 18 is positioned in fluid communication with the first chamber 44 . in some embodiments , the annular space 36 may empty directly into the second chamber 46 , and may not extend into the first chamber 44 . fig3 is a view of the filter 38 , illustrating the frame 40 and the net or mesh 42 . fig4 shows an embodiment of the filter 38 including a blocking plate 100 . in some embodiments , the blocking plate 100 may be sized , shaped and positioned near the blood outlet 18 to limit preferential blood flow on the lower portion of the oxygenator 10 . according to various embodiments , the filter 38 may have a cross - sectional shape that is circular , rectangular , or any other shape . in some embodiments , the net or mesh 42 may have a mesh size that is the range of about 20 to about 200 microns . in some cases , the net or mesh 42 may have a mesh size of about 120 microns . in some instances , the net or mesh 42 may have a mesh size of from about 38 - 40 microns , and may be formed of a polymeric material such as polyester or polypropylene . in some cases , the net 42 may be coated with a biocompatible material . the blocking plate 100 may be formed of any suitable material . in some embodiments , the blocking plate 100 may be integrally formed with the frame 40 . according to various exemplary embodiments , the net or mesh 42 has a surface area of between about 70 and about 90 square centimeters . according to other exemplary embodiments , the net or mesh 42 has a surface are of between about 75 and about 80 square centimeters . fig5 is a schematic illustration of a blood processing apparatus or oxygenator 110 . while the internal components are not visible in this illustration , the oxygenator 110 may include one or more of a heat exchanger , a gas exchanger and an arterial filter . the oxygenator 110 includes a device housing 112 and an arterial filter housing 114 . in some embodiments , the arterial filter housing 114 may be integrally molded or otherwise formed with the device housing 112 . in some cases , the arterial filter housing 114 may be separately formed and then secured to the device housing 112 . in some embodiments , a blood inlet 116 extends through the arterial filter housing 114 and into the device housing 112 . a blood outlet 118 exits the arterial filter housing 114 . as noted , in some embodiments the oxygenator 110 includes a gas exchanger and thus may include a gas inlet 120 and a gas outlet 122 . in some embodiments , the oxygenator 110 includes a heat exchanger and thus may include a heating fluid inlet 124 and a heating fluid outlet 126 . as will be explained in greater detail with respect to fig6 , the oxygenator 110 includes a first purge port 128 and a second purge port 130 . it is to be understood that the positions of the inlets , outlets and purge ports are merely illustrative , as other arrangements and configurations are contemplated . fig6 is a cross - sectional view of the oxygenator 110 , illustrating internal components and an example of how blood can flow through the oxygenator 110 . the oxygenator 110 includes a heat exchanger 132 and a gas exchanger 134 . in some embodiments , the heat exchanger 132 includes a number of hollow polymeric or metallic fibers through which a heating fluid such as water can flow . the blood may flow around and past the hollow fibers and thus be suitably heated . in some embodiments the gas exchanger 134 may include a number of hollow fibers through which a gas such as oxygen may flow . the blood may flow around and past the hollow fibers . due to concentration gradients , oxygen may diffuse through the hollow fibers into the blood while carbon dioxide may diffuse into the hollow fibers and out of the blood . as shown in fig6 , the gas exchanger is configured such that blood flows radially across the gas exchanger 134 . in these embodiments , the oxygenator 110 includes an annular space 136 into which blood may flow as the blood exits the gas exchanger 134 . according to various embodiments , the annular space 136 may be either open or it may be partially or completely filled with hollow fibers . as illustrated , the arterial filter housing 114 may extend over a portion of the annular space 136 . according to other embodiments , the gas exchanger 134 , the heat exchanger 132 , or both may be configured such that blood is directed in a longitudinal flow path . in various exemplary embodiments where the gas exchanger 134 is configured such that blood flows in a longitudinal path , the annular space 136 is omitted . in these embodiments , the blood flows out of the gas exchanger 134 near an end and flows directly into the arterial filter housing 114 . in some embodiments , the opening between the gas exchanger 134 and the arterial filter housing 114 is blocked or occluded at the radial location corresponding to the blood outlet 18 of the arterial filter housing 14 , to minimize or prevent direct flow from the gas exchanger 134 into the blood outlet 18 . a filter 138 may be disposed within the arterial filter housing 114 . in some instances , as illustrated , the filter 138 divides the space within the annular filter housing 114 into a first chamber 144 and a second chamber 146 . an opening 148 that may extend circumferentially up to about 360 degrees provides fluid communication between the annular space 136 and the first chamber 144 . while blood is in the first chamber 144 , any air bubbles that are present within the blood may be vented through the first purge port 128 . blood may pass through the filter 138 and into the second chamber 146 . any bubbles remaining in the blood , or caused by passage through the filter 138 , may be vented through the second purge port 138 . blood may then exit the oxygenator 110 through the blood outlet 118 . fig7 is a view of the filter 138 . in some embodiments , the filter 138 is a cylindrical filter that includes one or more reinforcements 140 and a cylindrical net or mesh 142 . in some embodiments , the one or more reinforcements 140 may be molded into the cylindrical net or mesh 142 . in some cases , the one or more reinforcements 140 may be adhesively secured to the cylindrical net or mesh 142 . in some embodiments , the one or more reinforcements 140 may extend cylindrically about the filter 138 . in some instances , the one or more reinforcements 140 may run across the filter 138 . in some embodiments , the net or mesh 142 may have a mesh size that is the range of about 20 to about 200 microns . in some cases , the net or mesh 142 may have a mesh size of about 120 microns . in some instances , the net or mesh 142 may have a mesh size of about 40 microns , and may be formed of a polymeric material such as polyester or polypropylene . in some cases , the net 142 may be coated with a biocompatible material . in some embodiments , the net or mesh 142 may include a blocking region or plate 200 that is sized , shaped and positioned near the blood outlet 118 to limit preferential blood flow on the lower portion of the oxygenator 110 . the blocking plate 200 may be formed of any suitable material . in some embodiments , the blocking plate 200 may be molded or otherwise formed within the net or mesh 142 . fig8 is a schematic illustration of a blood processing apparatus or oxygenator 310 . while the internal components are not visible in this illustration , the oxygenator 310 may include one or more of a heat exchanger , a gas exchanger and an arterial filter . the oxygenator includes a device housing 312 and an arterial filter housing 314 . in the illustrated embodiment , the arterial filter housing 314 is integrated into an end or side face of the device housing 312 and is configured such that blood exiting the device housing 312 enters the arterial filter housing 314 . the device housing 312 includes a blood inlet 316 while the arterial filter housing 314 includes a blood outlet 318 . in some embodiments , as illustrated , the arterial filter housing 314 includes a net filter 320 , a first purge port 322 and a second purge port 324 . the first purge port 322 may be in fluid communication with an interior of the arterial filter housing 314 at a position upstream of the net filter 320 while the second purge port 324 may be in fluid communication with an interior of the arterial filter housing 314 at a position downstream of the net filter 320 . as described in more detail above , this configuration allows an improvement and priming speed and efficacy , while also reducing the overall priming volume . various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention . for example , while the embodiments described above refer to particular features , the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the above described features .
an oxygenator combines , in a single structure , a heat exchanger , a gas exchanger and an arterial filter . such an oxygenator permits fewer fluid connections and thus may simplify an extracorporeal blood circuit , including a heart - lung machine and a blood reservoir , in which it is used . in some cases , the oxygenator may be configured to include multiple purge ports for purging bubbles both before and after filtering the blood .