ASA 130th Meeting - St. Louis, MO - 1995 Nov 27 .. Dec 01

3aPAa6. Correlation of cavitation-induced damage to blood elements with passive acoustic detector output.

E. Carr Everbach

Inder Raj S. Makin

Eng. Dept., Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081

Charles W. Francis

Strong Memorial Hospital, Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642

A 20-MHz probe transducer placed confocally with a 1-MHz cavitation transducer was used to detect inertial cavitation in human blood preparations [Huertas et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 95, 2856(A) (1994)]. The preparations included suspensions of red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets in autologous plasma with or without the addition of Albunex (R) microbubble contrast agent. Damage to RBCs and platelets was measured hematologically and correlated with statistical descriptors of the fluctuating voltages from the passive cavitation detector. Good correlations were obtained between the average rms cavitation signal and percent hemolysis of diluted RBCs. In the platelet preparations, detector output paralleled damage as measured both by Coulter counter and by leakage of radiolabeled chromium-51 through platelet membranes. Advantages and shortcomings of the passive acoustic detection scheme used to predict cavitational damage to blood constituents will be discussed. [Work supported by an NSF PFF.]