Abstract
Cartridges for hemoadsorption containing styrene-divinylbenzene sorbent are used for multiple conditions, such as intoxication. The mass transfer zone comprises the extension along the longitudinal span of the cartridge where adsorption occurs. The aim of this experiment is to evaluate the mass transfer zone for vancomycin in the HA380 cartridge. The experiment was carried out twice. A saline solution with vancomycin passed through a HA380-modified cartridge at 100 ml/min in a single-pass fashion. The cartridge had four openings along its longitudinal dimension, at 3, 6, 9, and 12 cm. In both experiments, the collection of aliquots occurred at minute 4, in the four openings and pre- and post-cartridge, and an additional sample from the effluent bag at the end of each experiment. In the second experiment, an additional sampling of the same six sites occurred at minute 14. The sigmoidal shape of the curve for the mass transfer zone of vancomycin was similar to the theoretical one. In experiment one, at minute 4, vancomycin clearance was 98.75 ml/min. In experiment two, vancomycin clearance at minutes 4 and 14 was 93.76 and 93.20 ml/min, respectively. This implies an adequate and optimal design of the HA380 cartridge.