A disposable rotating oxygenator capable of being sterilized by heat for a heart-lung machine.

This rotating oxygenator is of a design differing from other rotating oxygenators in that the large surface area necessary for filming blood at high rates of flow is obtained by using a small number of concentric drums rather than a large number of discs. This makes for simplicity of manufacture and ease of assembly. The design is such that it can be cast in plastic in three parts and mass produced at small cost. A number of plasti_s capable of being sterilized by heat are now available; preliminary tests of " araldite " (epoxide resin) suggest that it may be the most suitable for this purpose. A prototype has been machined out of perspex and has been us.d to test the design in regard to its oxygenating capacity and its effect on blood cells.