Perfusion
-
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an extracorporeal technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose heart and lungs are so severely diseased or damaged that they can no longer serve their function. Neonatal and pediatric ECMO was accepted as practice in the early 1990s and according to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, ELSO; of the >50,000 patients registered, 73% have survived extracorporeal life support (ECLS). It is not uncommon to find initial cannulation of a patient receiving ECMO performed by a surgeon and then the maintenance of the patient being left in the hands of various others deemed as the "ECMO Specialists". ⋯ The perfusionist has been the "specialist" for ECMO at our institution since the early 1990s and remained at bedside during ECMO. We have now developed a safe circuit and fiscally responsible staffing model that utilizes a perfusionist and a telemetry-based electronic record keeper, permitting the perfusionist to leave the bedside and interact with the circuit when necessary. This has permitted an expansive growth of ECMO in our intensive care units at our facility incorporating a multidisciplinary collaboration system wide.
-
Clinician rounding on bedside extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a common coverage practice at many centers across the USA. Occasionally, clinical issues or concerns may go unnoticed for a considerable period of time during the intervals of clinician rounds. We report a case utilizing the LiveVue (Spectrum Medical, Fort Mill, SC) remote monitoring for care of a patient on ECMO. ⋯ The pre-oxygenator pressure increased by 150 mmHg and the circuit flow decreased by half. Again, the perfusionist response was immediate and an oxygenator change-out ensued. Once more, a potentially dangerous clinical scenario was avoided with continuous critical parameter remote monitoring using the LiveVue system.
-
Observational Study
The effect of retrograde autologous priming on intraoperative blood product transfusion in coronary artery bypass grafting.
Retrograde autologous priming (RAP) of the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit could reduce the degree of haemodilution associated with priming with acellular solutions. However, there is no strong evidence to prove that the practice of RAP reduced intraoperative packed red cell (PRC) or blood product transfusion. ⋯ Practising RAP with mean volumes of 300 ml does not necessarily reduce PRC and other blood product transfusion requirements during CABG. In our practice, RAP was performed, aiming at displacing CPB circuit prime volume with which the perfusionist felt comfortable and dictated by haemodynamic parameters prior to commencing CPB. We presume this is the case in many units around the world. This practice, in our opinion, is not enough to achieve the benefits of RAP, if any, in the form of a reduction of packed red cell transfusion requirements. The true advantages of RAP in cardiac surgery need to be studied in a prospective, randomized, controlled trial.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of the colloids gelatin and HES 130/0.4 on blood coagulation in cardiac surgery patients: a randomized controlled trial.
The choice of the prime solution for cardiopulmonary bypass can play an important role in limiting the effect on blood coagulation, but it is still unclear what the effect of colloids on blood coagulation is. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of synthetic colloids on blood loss and blood coagulation in patients after on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures. ⋯ In this randomized, controlled trial of adults after on-pump CABG procedures, there was no significant difference in blood loss or blood coagulation between the HES group and the Gelo group.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Human albumin in extracorporeal prime: effect on platelet function and bleeding.
Synthetic starches have been positioned as an equivalent substitute for human albumin in extracorporeal prime, with both providing osmotic and oncotic pressure. Another effect of albumin is its ability to coat the synthetic surfaces of an extracorporeal circuit with a biopassivating protein monolayer. Whether this protein biopassivation has any benefit to the patient, assessed by platelet count, platelet function and 24-hour bleeding rate, is considered. ⋯ Human albumin can passivate the synthetic surfaces of the extracorporeal circuit, which is supported by observations of preserved platelet count and reduced chest tube drainage. Although some statistically significant benefits were observed, the practical benefits of passivating an extracorporeal circuit with human albumin may be minimal.