The thin-film adsorber hemoperfusion device: detailed mass transfer and flow characteristics

Further testing and evaluation of the thin-film adsorber (TFA) type of hemoperfusion device is reported here to complement an earlier paper describing the development of these devices and clearance tests performed with them. The present paper describes the results of pressure drop tests, flow uniformity tests, and detailed studies of the mass transfer characteristics of the components of the TFA units. The TFA units consist of powdered activated charcoal embedded in thin films of cellulose nitrate. These films are sprinkled with small particles of granular charcoal and then wound into spools, which are then placed in a plastic housing. The use of powdered charcoal exploits the enormous rate-of-uptake advantage of powdered charcoal over the granular sorbents used in other hemoperfusion devices. The present tests showed that the pressure drops in the TFA devices are intrinsically low, but that their priming volumes are only marginally acceptable. Significant flow nonuniformities also exist. Despite this, the overall mass transfer resistance values for the TFA devices are lower than those for available commercial hemoperfusion units. Measurements of diffusion coefficients in the carbon and in the carbon-loaded polymer film showed that in the carbon-loaded film, the slowest diffusion step involves the carbon particles themselves. Other tests disclosed that the liquid external to the film (i.e., in the flow spaces) offers even greater mass transfer resistance than does the carbon-loaded film. Further evaluations of the TFA type of device are suggested, particularly concerning its thrombogenic properties.