A simplified single pump circuit for cardiac bypass with autogenous oxygenation

A simplified extracorporeal circulation (ECC) assemblage with autogenous ox ygenation (AO) using a single centrifugal pump was tested in dogs. The tran spulmonary gradient was obtained by increasing pressure in the right atrium through volume expansion and decreasing it in the left atrium by collectin g 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. The heart was electrically fibrillated after perfusion w as started and defibrillated at the end of the bypass. This ECC circuit all owed the maintenance of adequate hemodynamic and blood gas parameters durin g the bypass. The operating field and the mobility of the heart were equiva lent to that of conventional cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We conclude that the use of a single centrifugal Dump simplifies the autogenous oxygenation approach, making it a practical choice for the coronary artery bypass graf t (CABG) procedure.