What Happens When Perfusionists Can Actually See Microbubbles

We get the same reaction almost every time we install a BCF300 for a trial.

Day 1: "Let's see what this thing does."

Day 3: "Huh, that's more bubbles than I expected."

Day 7: "We need to talk about keeping this."

I've watched this play out in hospitals across Australia, and it never gets old. Not because I enjoy watching people realise they have a problem, but because what comes after that realisation is genuinely exciting. Behaviour changes. Conversations happen. Practice improves.

What the BCF300 actually does

The GAMPT BCF300 is a precision ultrasonic Doppler bubble counter. It clamps non-invasively onto the tubing of any heart-lung machine and detects gaseous microemboli, microbubbles, from 10 to 2000 micrometres in diameter. Setting it apart from the other bubble detectors we use, is its ability to measure the volume of each bubble. This gives us a total air load at the end of the case. It monitors up to three points simultaneously: typically venous return, post-oxygenator, and post-arterial filter.

The data is displayed in real time on a touchscreen. You can see bubble counts, size distribution, and trends throughout the case. Everything is logged automatically for the perfusion report.

There are no disposables. No single-use sensors. No ongoing consumable costs. It's a capital device that pays for itself by changing how your team manages the circuit.

What changes when you can see the data

This is the part that matters most.

Before real-time bubble monitoring, most perfusionists manage gas in the circuit based on training, experience, and instinct. And to be fair, most of us are pretty good at it. We watch our reservoir levels. We're careful with suction. We manage rewarming gradients.

But instinct only goes so far when you're dealing with something invisible.

When you add a BCF300 to the circuit, you suddenly have objective data on what's actually reaching the patient. And that data often tells a different story to what you assumed.

Here's what we typically see during trials:

Reservoir level sensitivity becomes real. Perfusionists know that low reservoir levels generate more bubbles. But there's a difference between knowing it intellectually and watching the bubble count spike on a screen as the level drops. The BCF300 turns a general principle into an immediate, actionable signal.

Cardiotomy suction gets a spotlight. When the surgical suction is aggressive, the bubble count goes up. Dramatically. The BCF300 makes this visible in real time, which gives perfusionists data to have a constructive conversation with the surgical team about technique.

Rewarming behaviour changes. Rapid rewarming causes outgassing, dissolved gas coming out of solution as blood temperature rises. When perfusionists can see this happening live, they slow down. Not because someone told them to. Because the data is right there.

Circuit comparisons become possible. Different oxygenators, different reservoir types, different filter configurations, they all perform differently when it comes to gas handling. The BCF300 lets you measure that objectively rather than relying on manufacturer claims.

The trial experience

We offer no-obligation in-hospital trials. We bring the device in, set it up, and let the perfusion team use it on real cases for a week or two.

The most common feedback at the end of a trial isn't "that's interesting", it's "how do we keep it?" Because once you've had visibility of what's happening in your circuit, going back to not knowing feels uncomfortable.

That's not a sales pitch. It's just what happens when you give clinicians good data.

Who it's for

Any hospital running cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Any ECMO program. Any perfusion department that takes gas management seriously, which should be all of them.

We're currently the exclusive Australian distributor for GAMPT, and we can arrange a trial at your hospital with no strings attached. If your team is curious, get in touch. The data speaks for itself.