| oxygenators | Devices which mechanically oxygenate venous blood extracorporeally. They are used in combination with one or more pumps for maintaining circulation during open heart surgery and for assisting the circulation in patients seriously ill with some cardiac and pulmonary disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| oxygenators, membrane | Devices in which blood and oxygen are separated by a semipermeable membrane, generally of teflon or polypropylene, across which gas exchange occurs. The membrane may be arranged as a series of parallel plates or as a number of hollow fibres; in the latter arrangement, the blood may flow inside the fibres, which are surrounded by gas, or the blood may flow outside the fibres and the gas inside the fibres. (12 Dec 1998) |
| pump-oxygenator | A machine that does the work both of the heart (pump blood) and the lungs (oxygenate the blood). Used, for example, in open heart surgery. Blood returning to the heart is diverted through the machine before returning it to the arterial circulation. Also called a heart-lung machine. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|