• Dietrich E Birnbaum.
• Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93042 Regensburg, Germany. htc@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
• Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2004 Dec 1;26 Suppl 1:S82-5; discussion 85.

AbstractTradition and experience of cardiopulmonary bypass in the hand of cardiac surgeons Led to several spin-offs of this extracorporeal technique. Acute organ support is realized for situations of failing cardiac output, circulatory arrest respectively, of pulmonary failure and of drowning. Extracorporeal circulation is a promising adjunct to aim in better surgical technique and treatment in neurosurgery, thoracic aortic surgery, complex Lung resection, tumor surgery and procedures where safe organ perfusion must be ascertained. Chemotherapy and hyperthermia in limb carcinoma is highly successful if performed with the help of extracorporeal circulation. Progression in transcutaneous cannulation technique makes application of machinery easy and from operation facilities independent. Replacement of Long lasting periods of chest compression for heart massage is a future perspective if circulation is maintained by transcutaneously adapted miniaturized heart-lung-machine. Long lasting traumatizing mechanical ventilation of a severely diseased lung maybe replaced by extracorporeal lung assistance to give better chances for the lung to recover. Thoughts for these new interdisciplinary duties of cardio surgical units were discussed in the committee for the Symposium for the Future of Cardiac Surgery.

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