Significant reduction in circuit pressure with modified plasma separation chamber for a heparin removal device

The heparin removal device (HRD), using plasma separation and poly-L-lysine (PLL) affinity adsorption is an effective alternative to protamine after cardiopulmonary bypass. Previous designs of the HRD used standard port connections between the extracorporeal tubing and the plasma separation chambers, which resulted in excessively high circuit pressures. To reduce circuit pressure, the connection ports are enlarged, keeping other circuit components and sorbent amounts unchanged.