Determination of Oxygen Transfer Rate in an Neonatal Artificial Lung by Sulfite system Method

The most important parameter in the design and fabrication of an artificial lung consisting of hollow membranes is the oxygen transfer rate (OTR). OTR determination methods in the artificial lung are complex and require highly accurate sensors and instruments. The fluids used to determine OTR in the artificial lung are blood, water, and a mixture of water and glycerol, each of which has multiple drawbacks and problems. In this paper, the sulfite system (SS) is considered as a fluid that can replace blood in determining OTR and does not have blood problems and the need for special relationships and tools. For this purpose, the OTR conditions in the artificial lung are first optimized by determining the appropriate concentration of catalyst (cobalt) in SS (flow (gas and sulfite solution) 2000 mL/min). The results of SS at a flow rate (500-2000 mL/min) are then compared with blood data in an artificial lung. The results show that the mean OTR of SS is less than 10% different from the mean OTR of blood at 2000 mL / min flow.