Biological and environmental factors affecting ultrasound-induced hemolysis in vitro: 2. Medium dissolved gas (pO(2)) content

The data collected in this project supported the a priori hypothesis that the concentration of dissolved oxygen in whole human blood in vitro affected the extent of ultrasound (US)-induced hemolysis under conditions conducive to the occurrence of inertial cavitation. Aliquots of whole human blood in vitro with a relatively high 0, level had statistically significantly more 1-MHz US-induced hemolysis than aliquots with a relatively low 0, level in the presence of controlled gas nucleation (Albunex(R) or ALX, supplementation), with US-induced hemolytic yields being substantially less at 2.2- and 3.5-MHz exposures or in the absence of ALX -supplementation at otherwise comparable acoustic pressures, pulse lengths and duty factors. Passive cavitation detection (pcd) measures indicated a linear relationship for hemolysis up to about 70% and ped values (R-2 = 0.99). (E-mail: Morton-Miller@urmc.rochester.edu) (C) 2003 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine Biology.