Blood filter with air trap and distributing chamber

Abstract

A blood filter device has a housing including a frame, which is provided at opposite ends with an inlet and an outlet and extends in a plane containing a line connecting the inlet and outlet, and a pair of side plates extending on opposite sides of the frame and defining a filtering space together with the frame. The housing accommodates a filter support and a pair of flat filter elements disposed on opposite sides of the filter support such that each filter element defines together with the filter support a blood-exit space communicating with the outlet and also defines together with the associated side plate a blood-entering space communicating with the inlet. Between the filter support and inlet is provided a distributing and air trapping chamber communicating with the individual blood-entering spaces and defining a space to receive blood from the inlet to trap air contained in the blood and present in the filter device to prevent the air from reaching the filter elements. A distributing piece, which serves to distribute blood introduced through the inlet into the distributing chamber to the individual filtering blood spaces, extends from the filter support into the distributing chamber.