Simple in vitro testing method for antithrombogenic evaluation of centrifugal blood pumps

We developed a simple in vitro antithrombogenic testing method using a mock circulation system as used in the hemolysis tests to evaluate the antithrombogenicity of centrifugal blood pumps. This method was not designed to substitute for animal experiments but was intended to be a screening test method for selecting pumps robust enough to operate properly during animal experiments. In this study, we were able to maintain an almost constant activated clotting time for test blood for 10 hours by using both trisodium citrate and calcium chloride. We carried out the in vitro antithrombogenic testing of monopivot type centrifugal blood pumps (models DD3 and DD6) and hydrodynamic bearing pumps (models HH2 and HH7), which were developed at Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. Thrombus formation was not observed in the DD3 or DD6 pumps but occurred in the HH2 and HH7 pumps. The HH2 pump generated thrombi during a 1.5-hour ex vivo test, and the test was terminated. We expect this in vitro testing method to be useful for undertaking evaluations before animal experiments.