many aspects of the invention can be better understood with the references made to the drawings below . the components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale . instead , emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention . moreover , like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings . fig1 is a schematic view of a device and method for killing bacteria and viruses in blood of a patient according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . untreated blood 70 is removed from patient 90 . while it is shown that the untreated blood 70 is removed from the arm of the patient 90 , it is nonetheless possible and in some cases may be preferably to remove untreated blood 70 from another location on the patient 90 . a blood pump 30 is used to withdraw the untreated blood 70 from the patient 90 and move it through the rest of the system . an arterial pressure monitor 31 displays the pressure of the untreated blood 70 removed for treatment . a heat exchange 32 is used to transfer heat to the blood to increase its temperature as it travels through the system . a pressure monitor or blood pressure sensor 33 detects the pressure of the untreated blood 70 before it enters the iontophoretic cartridge 18 . the iontophoretic cartridge 25 includes silver rods 18 . electric current running through the silver rods causes the silver rods 18 to release ionized silver nanoparticles into the blood thereby killing the viruses . in a particular embodiment , a five - microampere power source is used to supply electrical current to the silver rods 18 in the iontophoretic cartridge 25 . treated blood 80 leaves the iontophoretic cartridge 25 and passes through an air trap / air detector 35 before returning to the patient 90 . a venous pressure monitor 34 detects the pressure of the treated blood 80 after it leaves the iontophoretic cartridge 25 . as with removing untreated blood 70 from the patient 90 , fig1 shows treated blood 80 returning to the arm of the patient 90 , though it is possible and in some cases may be preferable to return treated blood 80 to another location on the patient 90 . in a particular embodiment , blood flows through tubing , such as surgical tubing , between and / or through the various elements in the system and method described herein . fig2 is a schematic view of an iontophoretic cartridge according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . blood is supplied to the iontophoretic cartridge 25 through blood input adapter 71 . the blood then travels through blood collection valve 37 , which helps maintain blood pressure within the system and prevents the backflow of blood . the blood then travels through a main chamber 19 that houses four silver rods 18 housed within ½ - inch tubes . an electrical power source is connected to the iontophoretic cartridge to cause an electrical current to travel through the silver rods 18 . resistors 8 , 9 , 10 , and 11 , described in more detail below , regulate the electrical current that travels through anode 27 and cathode 28 and the silver rods 18 . an anticoagulant valve 26 is provided to administer anticoagulants into the blood as it travels through the iontophoretic cartridge 25 . fig3 is a diagram of electrical components according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . entry point 1 and exit point 2 show where the blood flows through the cartridge . negative terminal lug 3 and positive terminal lug 4 are used in the event the connectors are not feasible ; cathode and anode wires can be attached to these lugs in order to supply power . the wire coming from the negative lug is grounded to a housing of any machine in which the cartridge is placed . recessed female plug joins with a male connector to allow the cartridge to draw power from a vehicle such as through cigarette lighter port . metallic collars 6 and 7 receive power from positive and negative clamps when the cartridge is inserted in to a specific type of machine . this assembly will negate the need for wires or connectors . two - port power connector 14 gives the cartridge versatility to connect to other types of power sources . end cap 15 gives the cartridge seamless integration into an array of different machines . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , the different forms of electrical connections described above can be used individually or in combination with others in the same iontophoretic cartridge . a transformer 12 may be used to convert an external power source to a power source suitable for the iontophoretic cartridge . the transformer may include integrated resistors 8 , 9 , 10 and 11 , which play an integral part in the makeup of particular embodiments of the iontophoretic cartridge or iontophoretic cartridge system as they regulate the electrical current and keep it between five ( 5 ) microamperes and ten ( 10 ) microamperes . resistor 8 is a 5 . 8 kilo - ohm ( kω ) ¼ - watt resistor . resistor 9 is a 3 . 3 mega - ohm ( mω ) ¼ - watt resistor . resistor 10 is a 1 mega - ohm ( mω ) ¼ - watt resistor . resistor 11 is a 150 kilo - ohm ( kω ) ¼ - watt resistor . for applications where a higher current is required , transistor 17 is incorporated into the transformer or iontophoretic cartridge . transistor 17 is a darlington transistor mps a64 - pnp that is used for applications that require very high values of current , such as higher than 800 ma . a twenty - two ( 22 ) awg double lead 16 is used to electrically connect the transformer to the two - port power connector 14 . in a particular embodiment , the double lead 16 is seventeen ( 17 ) inches long . a 78 - inch 24 american wire gauge ( awg ) lead may be used to accommodate any reasonable scenario that requires a long stretch to a power source . excess wire can be folded and secured by various means well known in the art , such as wire ties , zip ties , and hook and loop fastening straps . the power provided to the iontophoretic cartridge flows through four aleated rods 18 . current causes the rods to release ionized silver nanoparticles in to the blood thereby killing the viruses . in a particular embodiment , each aleated rod is coated with an insulating material except for a ½ - ¾ inch portion at one end of the rod . fig4 is a diagram of a device for killing bacteria and viruses in blood according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . a blood pump 30 pumps untreated blood 70 from a patient to an iontophoretic cartridge 25 . an arterial pressure sensor 31 senses the pressure of the untreated blood 70 before it passes through the blood pump 30 . the arterial pressure sensor 31 is connected to a sensor signal process 40 , which processes signals from the various sensors of the device . a blood pressure monitor or sensor 33 , also connected to the sensor signal processor 40 , senses the pressure of the untreated blood 70 before it enters the iontophoretic cartridge 25 . electrical current provided to the iontophoretic cartridge causes the aleated silver rods contained therein to release ionized silver nanoparticles into the blood thereby killing viruses and / or bacteria . the treated blood 80 leaves the iontophoretic cartridge 25 and passes through / by an air trap / air detector or sensor 35 . an oxygen saturation sensor 41 , which is connected to the sensor signal processor 40 , measures the oxygen saturation of the treated blood 80 . additionally , a venous pressure sensor 34 , which is connected to the sensor signal processor 40 , senses the pressure of the untreated blood 80 before it is returned to the patient . the sensor signal processor 40 accepts signals obtained from the various sensors to generate values related to that sensor , including pressure values and oxygen saturation values . it should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein , the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the invention .
a device , system and method for killing viruses and bacteria in blood . an iontophoretic cartridge destroys blood borne viruses and bacteria using ionized silver nanoparticles . blood from the arm of the patient is routed to a holding bladder . from the bladder , the blood is pumped to the iontophoretic cartridge . in the cartridge , the blood is split into four tubes containing silver nanowires that treat the blood and destroy the viruses as they flow through the cartridge . the blood is then rerouted to the patient &# 39 ; s arm .