Apparatus for making extracorporeal blood circulation available

1. A heart-lung machine for providing an extracorporeal blood circuit, comprising:

at least one base module having a control device;

a patient module releasably connected to the base module and having blood-conducting components of the extracorporeal blood circuit disposed thereon; and

pivot means that are provided at one of the base module and the patient module for pivoting the patient module relative to the base module about a horizontal axis from a filling position into an operating position, the blood-conducting components comprising a blood reservoir, a centrifugal pump head, an oxygenator, and a filter, said blood-conducting components being mounted on the patient module to be pivotable together therewith, whereby the positions and orientations of individual components of the extracorporeal blood circuit are such that air bubbles which cannot escape from the extracorporeal blood circuit when the patient module is in the filling position can be removed from the circuit when the patient module is in the operating position through venting lines;

wherein the centrifugal pump head has a central inlet and a tangential outlet and is arranged in the patient module such that the inlet is oriented vertically upwardly in the filling position and horizontally in the operating position and the outlet is arranged at the bottommost position of the centrifugal pump head in the operating position.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein an angular range of approximately 90° is defined between the filling position and the operating position.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the blood reservoir mounted on the patient module is arranged at an inclination of approximately 45° to the horizontal in the filling position and in the operating position.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the filter comprises an arterial filter having a venting outlet and that is arranged in the patient module such that the venting outlet is oriented horizontally in the filling position and vertically upwardly in the operating position.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the pivot means includes a mount for the patient module pivotally supported at the base module.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the pivot means includes a guide which is provided at the mount and at least one of the patient module and a further module connected to the patient module.

7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the patient module is in the operating position after mounting onto the base module.

8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the base module has a device stand which is provided with a pivotal hook to hang the apparatus to the frame of a patient's bed.

9. An apparatus configured to provide an extracorporeal blood circuit, comprising:

at least one base module having a control device;

a patient module releasably connected to the base module and having blood-conducting components of the extracorporeal blood circuit disposed thereon; and

pivot means that are provided at one of the base module and the patient module for pivoting the patient module relative to the base module about a horizontal axis from a filling position into an operating position, the blood-conducting components comprising a blood reservoir, a centrifugal pump head, an oxygenator, and a filter, said blood-conducting components being mounted on the patient module to be pivotable together therewith, the patient module being configured to conduct a priming liquid through the blood-conducting components of the patient module in the filling position and to conduct blood through the blood-conducting components of the patient module in the operating position;

wherein the centrifugal pump head has a central inlet and a tangential outlet and is arranged in the patient module such that the inlet is oriented vertically upwardly in the filling position and horizontally in the operating position and the outlet is arranged at the bottommost position of the centrifugal pump head in the operating position.

10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9 , further comprising a pump configured to pump the priming liquid through the blood-conducting components in the filling position and to pump the blood through the blood-conducting components in the operating position.

11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the pump is disposed on the patient module.

12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9 , further comprising venting lines configured to allow air bubbles that cannot escape from the blood-conducting components of the patient module when in the filling position to escape when the patient module is in the operating position.

13. A heart-lung machine comprising the apparatus recited in claim 9 .