Performance of a new type of blood oxygenator

A new type of direct-contact oxygenator has been tested satisfactorily on dogs in nine experiments. It is based on the principle of the "packed column" and has the advantage of a small hold-up (meaning a small priming volume), no formation of foam, and gentle flowing of the blood. The apparatus is simple enough to be commercially available at a low price and discarded after use. Both PO2 increase and PCO2 decrease were satisfactory and plasma hemoglobin values remained low after 75 minutes of perfusion. Preliminary in vitro experiments on ox and human blood showed a low degree of blood damage.