Melrose N.E.P. oxygenator, which consists of a large hollow cylindrical perspex plastic tube with round covers on the top and bottom; the bottom cover is solid and the top cover has a round hole through the centre; the top and bottom covers are held together with six solid cylindrical bars that run…
Melrose N.E.P. oxygenator, which consists of a large hollow cylindrical perspex plastic tube with round covers on the top and bottom; the bottom cover is solid and the top cover has a round hole through the centre; the top and bottom covers are held together with six solid cylindrical bars that run through the length of the inner tube and are fastened with round, threaded metal washers on top of the top; the inside of the oxygenator contains 243 flat, round plastic discs with six evenly-spaced small holes on their outer edges to allos them to be attached through the metal bars; every disc has a round hole through its centre; some are off-centre; the discs are set up with thick, then thin discs, and in a pattern that allowed blood to flow easily through the oxygenator when it was turned.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Originally used in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, then brought to Kingston General Hospital by Dr. R. Beverley Lynn when he came in 1958. It was the first machine like this used at KGH.
A piece of masking tape stuck onto the outer edge of the tube has the words, "DePT OF Sur. C-P LAB" written on it
Permanent Location
Storage Room W1
W1-7-1
Length
80.5 cm
Diameter
25.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 80.5 cm x Diameter 25.0 cm
Condition Remarks
The oxygenator arrived very dirty and dusty; all the discs are in the oxygenator and a few have small missing chips or cracks; most are complete
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Document
Photo
Reference Comments
Dr. R. Beverley Lynn; "Development of the Cardiopulmonary Bypass Machine: Two Hundred Years of Enquiry," by Daniel Sipes, 1998, pp. 72-73
Research Facts
The oxygenator's shape is a spigelian helix; the oxygenator's discs were used to obtain a maximum surface area for the patient's blood; all the discs had to be washed, gas sterilized and coated with silicone after each patient; then the oxygenator had to be primed with blood before each operation; only three patients could be done per week; perspex oxygenators were replaced with metal ones in 1960; metal oxygenators could be quickly steam sterilized
Exhibit History
On display in the exhibit: The Heart-Lung Machine: Key to Open Heart Surgery, Nov. 1, 1999