Comparison

MMED High Performance Blood Warmer
compared with Level 1® H1200,
Belmont® FMS 2000, and
ThermaCor® 1200 Blood Warmers

Initial Cost

We believe the inherent simplicity of the MMED warmer will allow it to be priced significantly lower than the others described.

Disposables Cost

From the Market Review publication CEP 10014 of March, 2010 we list disposables cost in the UK converted to USD (admittedly they may be different in the US). The Belmont® FMS 2000 disposable cost was $166 and a separate 3L reservoir cost was $136. The Level 1® D165HL disposable cost was $100. ThermaCor’s disposable cassette appears very complex, and in fact a recent price quote for the disposable cassette was $900 for a case of 4, depending on whether a bag spike or patient line were included. This is expensive, $225 for a single cassette.

Now look at the MMED bag disposable. Impressive simplicity that, even with dual bag spike, filter, connectors, drip chamber and patient line should allow the disposable to be sold profitably for much less than those cited. The optional Air Eliminator is also of simple construction and we believe may be sold profitably very competitively.

Safety Features

While all the blood warmers described here claim to either remove air or to prevent its infusion, we believe the MMED warmer has the most effective and simplest approach. For the pressure infusion of fluids, we would recommend use of our Air Eliminator, which easily vents more than 200 ml of air which may not have been removed from a fluid source. If gas somehow passes the Air Eliminator (or if it is not used) an ultrasonic detector senses air in the normally liquid-filled "drip chamber" and simultaneously stops flow (by pinch valve) and sounds alarm. The alarm may be silenced, but the pinch valve remains closed. Power failure also closes the pinch valve.

The Level 1® device has a very small (and thus low venting capacity) hydrophobic membrane.

Warming Performance

Our flow testing of the MMED warmer with 10°C water shows excellent performance—outlet temperature of 36°C at 600 ml/min.

The excellent heat transfer performance of the MMED warmer results from two features:

The flat heat pipe warming plates. Two plates are used, warming both top and bottom surfaces of the disposable bag. They supply greater heat flux (automatically) where the fluid is colder.
The disposable bag is a simple lay-flat plastic tube with a serpentine flow path. Being heated from both sides and having a very thin ribbon flow results in very efficient heat transfer (and very low flow resistance).

Also of Note — Heated Disposable Patient Line

MMED holds a patent to a heated patient line which allows warm flow at the patient connection for low flows where cooling by ambient air cools flow in usual patient lines. See patents here (US 7,357,786).