Patent ID: 7204958

Claim:
An air removal device of an extracorporeal blood circuit providing extracorporeal oxygenation of a patient's blood by drawing venous blood from the venous system of a patient through a venous return line and delivering oxygenated blood through an arterial line to the arterial system of the patient during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery adapted to be performed on the patient in the presence of a perfusionist, the air removal device comprising: an air removal device housing enclosing a lower blood chamber and an upper blood inlet chamber; an upper blood inlet through the air removal device housing to the upper blood inlet chamber that is sized and shaped to be coupled to the return line; a lower blood outlet through the air removal device housing to the lower blood chamber that is sized and shaped to be coupled to a blood pump to draw blood into the upper blood inlet chamber and out of the lower blood chamber; a purge port through the air removal device housing to the upper blood inlet chamber; an upper air sensor comprising first and second piezoelectric elements at respective first and second locations of the air removal device housing having a portion of the upper blood inlet chamber between the first and second locations, the first and second locations being separated by a first distance; a lower air sensor comprising third and fourth piezoelectric elements at respective third and fourth locations of the air removal device housing that are below the first and second piezoelectric elements, the third and fourth locations being separated by a second distance; and wherein the first distance is different than the second distance.