In Vitro Evaluation of Resistance and Warming Performance of a Small Blood Warmer on a Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Circuit

• Published in: Therapeutic apheresis and dialysis 2020-04, Vol.24 (2), p.197-201
• Main Authors: Roy, Jean‐Philippe, Reagor, James, Klein, Tom, Morgan, Jolyn, Palazzolo, Alisa, Ratcliff, Joseph, Goldstein, Stuart L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood warmer; Child; Children; Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy - instrumentation; Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy - methods; Equipment Design; Erythrocytes - metabolism; Extracorporeal device; Heating - instrumentation; Humans; Hypothermia; Hypothermia - prevention & control; In Vitro Techniques; Temperature
• ISSN: 1744-9979; 1744-9987
• DOI: 10.1111/1744-9987.13349

Children on extracorporeal devices are at increased risk of hypothermia and require circuits with lower extracorporeal volume to avoid blood priming. We performed an in vitro study of the enFlow blood warmer to assess its warming performance and impact on circuit resistance at a high blood flow rate. The enFlow was added on the return line of a continuous renal replacement therapy circuit in a closed circuit primed with expired packed red blood cells (40% Hct). Return venous pressure and temperature pre‐ and post‐ both enFlow and Prismaflo II were measured at varying blood flow with different combination of the two blood warmers. Each variable was recorded eight times over 2 min. Return venous pressure was higher with the enFlow but was still within clinically usable range (127.5 ± 4.6 vs. 45.3 ± 1.4 mm Hg at 200 mL/min, P