US 11,785,938 B2
Perfusion loop assembly for an ex-vivo liver perfusion and a liver chamber assembly
Pierre-Alain Clavien, Kilchberg (CH); Philipp Rudolf von Rohr, Basel (CH); Philipp Dutkowski, Ohningen (DE); Rolf Graf, Zurich (CH); Martin Schuler, Zurich (CH); Dilmurodjon Eshmuminov, Rudolfstetten (CH); and Brian Burg, Paris (FR)
Assigned to ETH Zurich, Zürich (CH); and Universität Zurich, Zurich (CH)
Appl. No. 16/319,608
Filed by ETH Zurich, Zurich (CH); and Universität Zurich, Zurich (CH)
PCT Filed Jul. 21, 2017, PCT No. PCT/EP2017/068506
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 22, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/015548, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 25, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 16180837 (EP), filed on Jul. 22, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2020/0253194 A1, Aug. 13, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A01N 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01N 1/0247 (2013.01) 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A perfusion loop assembly for an ex vivo liver perfusion comprising:
only one pump for providing a flow of a perfusion liquid through a first branch line and a second branch line, wherein the perfusion flow is split downstream of the one pump into the first branch line and the second branch line at a branching point;
the first branch line being configured to provide a first portion of the perfusion liquid to the hepatic artery of the liver, wherein at least one gas exchanger is arranged in the first branch line downstream of the branching point;
the second branch line being configured to provide a second portion of the perfusion liquid to the portal vein of the liver, the second branch line further comprising at least one first valve for controlling the flow of the perfusion liquid into the portal vein of the liver;
a liver chamber assembly configured to hold the liver ex vivo;
a liver outlet line attached to the vena cava of the ex vivo liver, wherein the liver outlet line comprises at least one valve; and
at least one reservoir connected to the liver outlet line and upstream from the one pump,
wherein the first branch line, the second branch line and/or the liver outlet line comprise an interface configured to be inserted into the hepatic artery of the liver, the portal vein and/or the vena cava respectively;
wherein the first branch line, the second branch line and/or liver outlet line comprise at least one flow rate sensor and/or at least one pressure sensor;
wherein a bypass with a valve is established between the first branch line and the second branch line, wherein the valve of said bypass is operative for controlling a flow of the perfusion liquid between the first branch line and the second branch line; and
wherein a flow throttling in the at least one first valve of the second branch line, in the valve in the bypass, and in the valve in the liver outlet line is accomplished over one or multiple stages, wherein each of the one or multiple stages includes a manually adjustable constriction, an automatically adjustable constriction, or both a manually and an automatically adjustable constriction.