Abstract
Three membranes of comparable pore size that are relevant to clinical membrane plasmapheresis were studied to ascertain what determines their hydraulic resistance (transmembrane pressure/flux). Plasma was filtered through membranes both naked and covered with a layer of erythrocytes of known thickness. While the naked membranes showed a different resistance that rose with time during plasma filtration, resistances observed clinically were seen only when a cell layer was present. Studies at two levels of plasma flux indicated that intramembrane resistance depends upon time of exposure, not the amount of plasma filtered. Cell layers reduce the amount of protein deposited in the membrane.
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