Cavitation — the formation and collapse of vapor bubbles within a fluid — poses a significant risk to blood-contacting medical devices. In blood pumps, uncontrolled cavitation can lead to mechanical damage, reduced efficiency, and hemolysis, ultimately compromising patient safety. Precise cavitation testing is therefore essential to validate device performance under clinically relevant operating conditions.
At our laboratory, we conduct cavitation assessments in strict accordance with ISO 18242, the international standard for evaluating extracorporeal blood-contacting devices. This framework ensures: