Blood compatibility of methyl, methyl vinyl, methyl phenyl, and trifluoropropylmethylvinyl silicone rubber without silica fillers in the spiral-coiled membrane lung.

Spiral-coiled membrane lungs of 0.6 m2 surface area were fabricated from silicone rubber membranes coated with four types of commercially available pure-gum polysiloxane rubber: 1) polytrifluoropropylmethylvinylsiloxane, 2) polymethylphenylsiloxane, 3) polymethylvinylsiloxane, and 4) polydimethylsiloxane. Membranes lungs were tested in an arteriovenous shunt without added heparin after bypass was begun. All group 4 had major rise in resistance to blood flow or clotting in over 33% of the membrane lungs studied, after 6 hr of bypass. Membrane lungs with polydimethylsiloxane (group 4) had no rise in resistance to blood flow during 24 hr of bypass and had the least amount of changes in blood platelet count.