Artificial organs
-
A simplified extracorporeal circulation (ECC) assemblage with autogenous oxygenation (AO) using a single centrifugal pump was tested in dogs. The transpulmonary gradient was obtained by increasing pressure in the right atrium through volume expansion and decreasing it in the left atrium by collecting the blood from the pulmonary veins in a reservoir placed below the level of the animal, generating a siphon effect. This arrangement dispenses with a right side pump. ⋯ This ECC circuit allowed the maintenance of adequate hemodynamic and blood gas parameters during the bypass. The operating field and the mobility of the heart were equivalent to that of conventional cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We conclude that the use of a single centrifugal pump simplifies the autogenous oxygenation approach, making it a practical choice for the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure.