A study of leucocyte removal by the RemoweLL cardiotomy reservoir

One of the major complications of cardiopulmonary perfusion is cerebral damage1. The mechanisms proposed to explain the onset of cerebral damage in this setting include the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, generated by the activation of leucocytes, particularly neutrophil granulocytes2–4. Another possible cause is microembolisation of acellular fat particles5,6. The RemoweLL (EU 05516, EUROSETS) cardiotomy reservoir is part of a system for extracorporeal circulation to be used during heart surgery. It incorporates a filtering layer for the (partial) removal of leucocytes from the collected blood. The aim of the present study was to document the removal properties of the RemoweLL cardiotomy reservoir, with reference to the characteristics of the processed blood (initial content of leucocytes and platelets, storage age). The RemoweLL cardiotomy reservoir is also designed to remove lipids. We, therefore, used units of blood containing high concentrations of lipids and studied how they varied after the blood had been drained through the reservoir.