Importance

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Abstract

An arterial blood filter assembly (10) for removing undissolved gases and foreign bodies, particles, clots, etc., from blood flowing through the assembly (10) includes a housing (34) having an inlet (38) and outlet (44) and a vent (48) for venting undissolved gases from the housing (34). A filter media (60) is supported within the housing (34). The assembly (10) includes a blood flow dividing mechanism disposed between the inlet (38) and filter media (58) to divide blood flow from the inlet (38) into a plurality of spaced inlet streams flowing over and down the outer boundary of the filter media (52) into the tapering space between the media and housing wall, which causes the streams to spread sideways and meet, forming upward-flowing streams which carry the entrained bubbles upward, to the channels in the housing top (80) which direct the air bubbles to the vent (48). A method for removing undissolved gases from flowing blood in a filter assembly (10) includes the steps of dividing the inlet blood flow into the assembly (10) into a plurality of spaced inlet streams, filtering the undissolved gases from the flowing blood, forming a portion of the blood flow containing the filtered undissolved gases into return streams between the spaced inlet streams, thus allowing the bubbles of undissolved gases to collect in regions of lower velocity near the housing top (80) and flow freely in the formed channels in the housing top (80) to the vent (48).

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First Claim