Affiliations: [a] Department of Cardiology Thoraxcentre Groningen University Hospital P.O. Box 30.001 9700 RB Groningen, Netherlands | [b] Division of Hemostasis, Thrombosis and Rheology, University Hospital, Groningen, Netherlands | [c] Centre for Biomedical Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author.
Abstract: A new, 5 ml, piston type hemoperfusion pump, designed to prevent myocardial ischemia during coronary angioplasty, was evaluated in vitro at different flow rates. The driving pressures necessary to achieve the different flow rates and biochemical indicators of hemolysis, were assessed. Fresh human blood was perfused through 2 angioplasty catheter types, one with distal side holes and another catheter type without side holes but with a tapered distal segment. Despite high driving pressures, shear stress > 200 Pa, turbulent flow and the presence of occlusive valves in the pump, hemolysis proved to be minimal. This is most readily explained by the short period of time during which the blood was subjected to mechanical factors that cause hemolysis. Additionally, the volume of the pump, and hence the amount of blood subjected to mechanical hemolysis, was small. The side holes in the catheter caused obstruction by promoting the formation of clots.
