Development of the membrane autotransfusion system prototype-II: MATS-II

This article is the second of a two-part series describing a membrane autotransfusion system, MATS, utilizing plasmapheresis technology. Based on experiences obtained from the first prototype (MATS-I), optimum blood filtration parameters with refined blood and flux pump synchronization were put into an original CPU-board and loaded on a miniaturized, self-operative, and preclinical prototype (MATS-II). This study was conducted to evaluate the MATS-II using diluted blood of various hematocrit concentrations. The results proved that this device could concentrate 4,000-10,000 ml of various hematocrit concentrations into higher than 40% while automatically controlling the flow speed from 250 to 400 ml/min. Also, no significant damage was generated to the red blood cells (RBC). Moreover, the MATS-II salvaged over 90% of platelets together with the RBC. These results suggest that the MATS-II achieves all clinical requirements of an autotransfusion device; it is a continuous hemoconcentration device with minimum damage to cellular components of the blood.