Blood filter
OVERVIEW
- Blood filter
USES
- removal of microaggregates during blood transfusion
- platelet, leucocyte and fibrin aggregates form in stored blood and are thought to produce pulmonary microembolism -> pulmonary dysfunction
DESCRIPTION
- woven mesh (polyester or nylon)
- typically 170 micrometer pore size
- microaggregates require microfilters of 20-40 micrometer pore size
METHOD OF INSERTION AND/OR USE
- placed between product bag and patient
- screen filters: sieves with pores of a certain size
- depth filters: remove particles mainly be absorption (pore size varies)
- combination filters: both
OTHER INFORMATION
The use of microfilters is controversial as they:
(1) can cause complement activation -> increased microaggregate formation
(2) are expensive
(3) increase resistance to flow
(4) can cause haemolysis
COMPLICATIONS
- failure
- haemolysis
- increased resistance to blood flow
- complement activation
Critical Care
Compendium
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at the Alfred ICU in Melbourne. He is also a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. He is a co-founder of the Australia and New Zealand Clinician Educator Network (ANZCEN) and is the Lead for the ANZCEN Clinician Educator Incubator programme. He is on the Board of Directors for the Intensive Care Foundation and is a First Part Examiner for the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives.
After finishing his medical degree at the University of Auckland, he continued post-graduate training in New Zealand as well as Australia’s Northern Territory, Perth and Melbourne. He has completed fellowship training in both intensive care medicine and emergency medicine, as well as post-graduate training in biochemistry, clinical toxicology, clinical epidemiology, and health professional education.
He is actively involved in in using translational simulation to improve patient care and the design of processes and systems at Alfred Health. He coordinates the Alfred ICU’s education and simulation programmes and runs the unit’s education website, INTENSIVE. He created the ‘Critically Ill Airway’ course and teaches on numerous courses around the world. He is one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) and is co-creator of litfl.com, the RAGE podcast, the Resuscitology course, and the SMACC conference.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Twitter, he is @precordialthump.
| INTENSIVE | RAGE | Resuscitology | SMACC