An ultrafiltration technique for directly reinfusing residual cardiopulmonary bypass blood.

Given the shortages of banked blood, the risks of transfusion reactions, disease transmissions, and transfusion errors, we perfusionists must find ways to avoid blood transfusions. At the end of any given bypass run, there is residual blood left in the bypass circuit, the perfusionist must get this blood back to the patient. Most commonly either a cell saver or a hemoconcentrator (HC) has been used, in some fashion, to reinfuse residual circuit blood.

A clinical comparison of two commercially available pediatric hemoconcentrators.

Hemoconcentration is a technique that involves selective removal of plasma water and some dissolved solutes by way of an ultrafiltration membrane. Hemoconcentrators (HC) are routinely used during pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to remove free plasma water and various inflammatory mediators. This paper examines two different commercial HCs, the Dideco DHF0.