Abstract: A blood warming device circulates air as a heating medium through a heater element and heat exchangers to transfer heat from the air to chilled blood being forced through the channels in a disposable warming jacket. A temperature sensor is disposed near an outlet of the blood warming jacket. An electronic control circuit operates on the signals produced by the temperature sensor to produce a cutoff signal that immediately stops the flow of heated air through the heat exchanger if the sensed blood temperature exceeds a predetermined level. The low heat capacity of the air is sufficiently low that no overheating of blood in the blood warming jacket occurs even if the blood flow is interrupted so that blood remains stationary in the blood warming jacket. The disposable warming jacket inclues a plurality of parallel blood paths, resulting in a high flow rate of heated blood. Blood output from one section of a warming jacket can be input to the inlet of another section to further raise the temperature thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus for rapid infusion of blood or other fluid into a patient provides a pneumatic bladder supported within a housing having a rigid back and two rigid sides attached thereto. A hinged door with a clear, rigid window therein supports on its inner surface one or two unit bags containing fluid, such as centrifuged blood cells and/or saline solution. Closing of the door and locking of a latch presses the unit bag against the pneumatic bladder, which is rapidly inflated by means of a foot pump up to a maximum pressure determined by a relief valve that prevents overinflation of the pneumatic bladder. Opening of an evacuation valve provides nearly instant deflation of the pneumatic bladder, allowing rapid removal of the first unit bag, replacement of it by a full unit bag, and rapid reinflation of the bladder and diffusion of successive unit bags of fluid into the patient.