Meshless Bubble Filter Using Ultrasound for Extracorporeal Circulation and its Effect on Blood

A bubble filter with no mesh structure for extracorporeal circulation using ultrasound was developed. Hemolysis was evaluated by measuring free hemoglobin (FHb). FHb in 120 mL of bovine blood was measured in acoustic standing-wave fields. With a sound pressure amplitude of 60 kPa at driving frequencies of 1 MHz, 500 kHz and 27 kHz for 15 min. FHb values were 641.6, 2575 and 8903 mg/dL, respectively. Thus, hemolysis was inhibited with higher driving frequencies when the same sound pressure amplitude was applied. An ultrasound bubble filter with a resonance frequency of 1 MHz was designed. The filtering characteristics of the flowing microbubbles were investigated with a circulation system using bovine blood with a flow rate of 5.0 L/min. Approximately 99.1% of microbubbles were filtered with 250 kPa and a flow of 5.0 L/min. Hemolysis decreased as the sound pressure decreased; FHb values were 225.8 and 490.7 mg/dL when using 150 and 200 kPa, respectively.