Conventional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation utilises a gas-to-liquid transfer regime to oxygenate blood from a stream of oxygen gas. This work serves as an exploratory study of the liquid-to-liquid transfer of dissolved gases, which may prove advantageous for general applications of ECMO as it allows for higher partial pressures of oxygen as well as the use of isotonic solutions as a means of improving patient haemostability. This concept is of particular interest to an ongoing project which has investigated the use of repurposed hollow fibre membrane dialysers as a means of providing emergency respiratory support using existing equipment. The liquid-liquid regime mass transfer properties of the hollow fibre membrane dialysers were investigated by determining the mass transfer coefficients of carbon dioxide and salt through the membrane as well as the sieving coefficient and leakage rate. Three cartridge types (high flux Braun, low flux Braun and Leoceed 21N) were investigated using a liquid-liquid configuration with carbonated or saline water used as a blood substitute in contact with distilled water. The high flux cartridge demonstrated a high leakage rate making it unsuitable for the proposed use. The two low flux cartridges demonstrated adequate carbon dioxide removal of 75.8% and 64.4% of the recommended 200ml/min for the Braun and Leoceed cartridges, respectively. All three cartridges displayed sieving coefficients close to one, indicating a high rate of salt transfer and subsequent need for solute balance in the final application. The results of this work showed a higher mass transfer coefficient for the liquid-liquid transfer regime compared to prior studies using a gas-liquid transfer regime. This result suggests that a liquid-liquid configuration is not just useful for emergency respiratory support but could outperform existing ECMO techniques. Further study into the use of liquid-liquid HFMD for respiratory support, using blood and conditions more representative of the final intended use, is warranted.
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