Blood filter with air trap and distributing chamber

A blood filter device comprising:

• a housing including a frame provided at opposite ends with an inlet and an outlet, said frame extending in a plane containing a line connecting said inlet and outlet;
• and a pair of side plates extending on opposite sides of said frame and defining a filtering space together with said frame;
• a filter support member disposed within said housing;
• a pair of substantially flat filter elements disposed on opposite sides of said filter support member such that each of said filter elements defines together with said filter support member a blood-exit space communicating with said outlet and defines together with the associated one of said side plates a blood-entering space communicating with said inlet;
• a distributing and air trapping chamber defined between said filter support and said inlet and communicating with each of said blood-entering spaces, said distributing and air trapping chamber, in use, being above said blood-entering spaces, and defining a space sufficient in size to receive blood from said inlet to trap air contained in the blood and present in the filter device to prevent such air from reaching said filter elements;
• and
• a distributing member extending from said filter support member into said distributing and air trapping chamber for substantially equally distributing blood having been introduced through said inlet into said distributing chamber to said blood-entering spaces.