Abstract: Recovery of blood from a wound site (12) during a surgical procedure is accomplished with low blood trauma that enables collection of increased amounts of blood having relatively little structural damage for return to the surgical patient. Blood trauma is decreased by accelerating liquid blood from the wound site to flow at a relatively low velocity with a relatively high negative gauge pressure and accelerating a mixture of blood and foam from the wound site to flow at a relatively high velocity and a relatively low negative gauge pressure. A suction wand is provided in which liquid blood (32) is separated from a mixture of blood and foam (16) at the wound site through the transport of the two separated fluids at the different velocities and negative gauge pressures. The wand includes an outer blood foam tube within which are three resiliently compressed, side-by-side tubes for handling liquid blood, rinse solution and anticoagulant.

Abstract: A unitary system incorporates an upper reservoir container having a blood gas separator, a cardiotomy reservoir and a venous reservoir. The upper container is positioned directly above a lower mass transfer container coupled with the venous reservoir by means of a check valve and having a spirally wound flattened tubular transfer membrane. A vacuum is drawn upon an upper portion of the reservoir container which carries a blood gas separator into which aspirated wound site blood is drawn for filtering and collection of blood in the cardiotomy reservoir. The latter is automatically drained via a pressure responsive valve into a venous blood reservoir at the lower portion of the reservoir container and into which venous blood flows for mixing with the filtered cardiotomy blood.

Abstract: A unitary system incorporates an upper reservoir container having a blood gas separator, a cardiotomy reservoir and a venous reservoir. The upper container is positioned directly above a lower mass transfer container coupled with the venous reservoir by means of a check valve and having a spirally wound flattened tubular transfer membrane. A vacuum is drawn upon an upper portion of the reservoir container which carries a blood gas separator into which aspirated wound site blood is drawn for filtering and collection of blood in the cardiotomy reservoir. The latter is automatically drained via a pressure responsive valve into a venous blood reservoir at the lower portion of the reservoir container and into which venous blood flows for mixing with the filtered cardiotomy blood.