Film oxygenators: rotating disc; stationary screen

 

Film Oxygenators:

 

1) Stationary Screen

•     eg Mayo-Gibbon

•     Type of oxygenator used by Gibbon for the first successful open heart operation

•     Simply a cabinet containing a series of upright screens in an oxygen atmosphere. Venous blood was introduced by way of a series of slits at the top of the cabinet which was engineered so as to encourage filming over the screens. Arterialised blood collected at the bottom of the cabinet to be returned to the patient

•     Blood is allowed to form a very thin film on a metal plate & is exposed to oxygen

•     A screen of wire mesh is used to cause turbulence at the blood gas-interface thereby greatly increasing the efficiency of oxygenation

•     Require large priming volumes & difficult to sterilise

 

 

2) Rotating Disc Film Oxygenator

•    1956

•     ‘Kay-Cross’ apparatus

•     It had multiple vertical discs placed on a horizontal axis that rotated, with the discs dipping into a pool of venous blood, creating a film on the discs in an atmosphere of oxygen

•     Capable of good oxygenation

•     But: required large priming volumes of blood (ineffective with hemodilution], cumbersome, difficult to clean & sterilise, nondisposable, took all day to set up

•     Replaced by bubble oxygenator

 

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