Medical Applications of Membranes
Polymeric membranes have become widely used as components of medical devices and implants, drug delivery systems, diagnostic assays, biosensors, etc. Membrane processes are used effectively for treatment of patients with various pathologies for the removal of toxins from blood (e.g. hemodialysis) or for gas exchange with blood (e.g. blood oxygenation). Membranes of suitable molecular mass cut-off are used in bio-artificial liver, bio-artificial pancreas, and as selective barriers to prevent the immune system components from coming into contact with implants while allowing nutrients and metabolites to permeate freely to and from cells.
In medical devices, membranes exhibit in general the same properties they present in microfiltration and ultrafiltration processes.
Examples of medical applications of membranes are shown in the Figure.
This section briefly discusses several applications, namely the following:
Hemodialysis
(Artificial Kidney)
Blood
Oxygenation (Artificial Lung)
Artificial
Pancreas
Controlled
Drug Delivery (Controlled-Release Pharmaceuticals)