2017 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 153-157
Blood-flow stagnation and water permeability are key areas for improving hemofilters. For reducing blood-flow stagnation at the inlets of hollow fibers within Excelflo hemofilters (AEF), a funnel-shaped design was introduced. On the other hand, to increase water permeability in Hemofeel hemofilters (SHG), the wall thickness of the hollow-fiber membranes was made thinner. In this study, both AEF and SHG hemofilters were tested for water permeability, lifetime, blood residue on the inner surface of the hollow fibers, and transmembrane pressure (TMP). Continuous hemofiltration with bovine blood was employed for this study, and a scanning electron microscope was used to observe the inlets. Through observations, the SHG filters were found to also have a funnel-shaped design, though this design is noticeably different from that of the AEF filters. The results of the study indicate that the water permeability of the AEF filters was lower than that of the SHG filters and that the lifetimes of both filters were approximately the same. Blood residue was observed throughout the hollow fibers from the blood intakes to the outlets of the AEF filters but were only observed near the inlets in the SHG filters. In addition, the TMP of the SHG filters was found to be lower than that of the AEF filters throughout the experiments.
