A blood reservoir comprises a rigid casing and a perforated tubular member positioned within the casing and extending between the edges thereof. An inlet aperture is at a position at the upper end of the reservoir in communication with the bore of the tubular member while an outlet aperture is positioned adjacent the bottom of the casing exterior to the tubular member. The bore of the tubular member contains first blood-defoaming means, and the tubular member carries a blood filter. In accordance with this invention, second blood defoaming means are positioned about the exterior of the tubular member to dissipate the fine bubbles without interference from the larger bubbles, which have been previously removed by passage through the first blood defoaming means.

An apparatus for sucking blood out of body cavities blood collecting vessel is at one end connected via a flexible line to a source of vacuum, and, at the other provided integrally with a suction tube. The lower portion of the suction tube includes suction orifices and projects into a basket acting as a filter carrier. This basket includes a series of suction slots located only in the lower part of the wall of the basket to avoid aspiration of air. On its outer surface, the basket is surrounded by a filter fabric which is fixed in an annular groove. Structures alternative to the basket are also disclosed.

My invention permits very small pore filtration of blood by means of a high capacity "two-dimensional" filter of round pores of twelve to fifteen microns in diameter. The viscous blood and its cells and platelets are forced through these minute orifices by means of a pressure applied to the flexible bag of donor blood, a rigid connecting passageway, and to a flexible pleated solid sheath which covers the filter but which is sealed to the outer portion of the connecting passageway and to the periphery of the filter. These flexible portions are first emptied of air by means of a vacuum applied from below through the filter and then the blood is evenly maintained above this large filter by means of producing a slowly rotating swirling wave of blood. The blood is collected by gravity funnel drainage into a receiving bottle. Any frothed blood which enters this receiving bottle is removed from its top by vacuum aspiration.

A reservoir for the collection, purification, and storage of blood during surgical procedures which comprises a hollow blood storage casing having a hollow, perforated member within said casing extending from end-to-end thereof. Blood defoaming means and a filter are carried by the hollow member, so that the blood defoamer and filter are noncollapsible, and extend the entire length of the chamber within the casing, with one of the ports communicating with the interior of the hollow member, so that blood passes through the perforations of the hollow member and defoamer-filter means.

A reservoir for blood or the like in which a rigid casing, having a perforated tubular member positioned within the casing and extending between the ends thereof, carries filtering and blood defoaming means. An improved configuration of inlet aperture means is provided. Also, the reservoir may define an upstanding central hump at its lower end, surrounded by an annular trough positioned at an acute angle to the axis of the perforated tubular member, for improved recovery of blood from the reservoir and improved calibration of the amount of blood in the reservoir.