Limiting brain and lung damage after coronary artery bypass grafting: an alternative to conventional coronary artery bypass graft

The development of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for the treatment of coronary heart disease has resulted in reduced morbidity and mortality compared with medical therapy. Even with the rapid development of improved percutaneous interventions, CABG remains an important approach for treating patients with advanced coronary heart disease. However, recent studies and commentary reporting an alarmingly high incidence of subtle, cognitive decline following CABG have generated questions about whether these adverse outcomes could be lessened. Even after considerable study, there is no consensus as to the cause of brain and lung injury after CABG and cardiopulmonary bypass, nor an agreed upon, mechanistic approach to study its prevention. The potential causes of these adverse outcomes and a simple approach are described, involving the use of the cannulae, biventricular pulsatile flow pump, and a blood substitute to optimize the perfusion of brain and alveolar cells, minimize systemic microembolization, and limit post-CABG cognitive decline.

Mathematical Modeling of Fluid Dynamics in Pulsatile Cardiopulmonary Bypass

The design criteria of an extracorporeal circuit suitable for pulsatile flow are quite different and more entangled than for steady flow. The time and costs of the design process could be reduced if mutual influences between the pulsatile pump and other extracorporeal devices were considered without experimental trial-and-error activities. With this in mind, we have developed a new lumped-parameter mathematical model of the hydraulic behavior of the arterial side of an extracorporeal circuit under pulsatile flow conditions. Generally, components feature a resistant-inertant-compliant behavior and the most relevant nonlinearities are accounted for. Parameter values were derived either by experimental tests or by analytical analysis. The pulsatile pump is modeled as a pure pulsatile flow generator. Model predictions were compared with flow rate and pressure tracings measured during hydraulic tests on two different circuits at various flow rates and pulse frequencies. The normalized root mean square error did not exceed 24% and the model accurately describes the changes that occur in the basic features of the pressure and flow wave propagating from the pulsatile pump to the arterial cannula.

Development of a new disposable pulsatile pump for cardiopulmonary bypass: computational fluid-dynamic design and in vitro tests

A newly conceived blood pump for pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is presented. The new device's main design features (fully disposable pumping head with ring shaped valves) were intended to overcome the factors that today limit the use of pulsatile blood pumps, i.e., the complexity and costs of devices. The pump was designed and analyzed by means of three-dimensional computational models, including solid computer assisted design of the pumping head and computational fluid-dynamic (CFD) analyses of the fluid domain and of its interaction with deformable components. A prototype of the device, integrated with the venous reservoir, was built to perform hydraulic in vitro tests with aims of both validating CFD results and verifying the new device's pumping behavior. Functional evaluation of the pump was carried out by using the device in a model circuit made with standard CPB components plus a mock hydraulic bench representing an adult patient's systemic circulation. A roller pump used in pulsatile mode (RP-PM) was used for comparison. At a 5 L/min flow rate, the pulsatile hydraulic power (<Wpuls>) delivered to the patient was approximately 15 mW for the RP-PM. The new pump proved to be able to deliver <Wpuls> up to 40 mW, thus providing a more physiological condition, closer to the <Wpuls> delivered by the natural heart (90-140 mW).

The effects of cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest on blood viscoelasticity and cerebral blood flow in a neonatal piglet model

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) on the viscoelasticity (viscosity and elasticity) of blood and global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in a neonatal piglet model. After initiation of CPB, all animals (n = 3) were subjected to core cooling for 20 min to reduce the piglets' nasopharyngeal temperatures to 18 degrees C. This was followed by 60 min of DHCA, then 45 min of rewarming. During cooling and rewarming, the alpha-stat technique was used. Arterial blood samples were taken for viscoelasticity measurements and differently labeled microspheres were injected at pre-CPB, pre- and post-DHCA, 30 and 60 min after CPB for global and regional cerebral blood flow calculations. Viscosity and elasticity were measured at 2 Hz, 22 degrees C and at a strain of 0.2, 1, and 5 using a Vilastic-3 Viscoelasticity Analyzer. Elasticity of blood at a strain = 1 decreased to 32%, 83%, 57%, and 61% (p = 0.01, ANOVA) while the viscosity diminished 8.4%, 38%, 22%, 26% compared to the baseline values (p = 0.01, ANOVA) at pre-DHCA, post-DHCA, 30 and 60 min after CPB, respectively. The viscoelasticity of blood at a strain of 0.2 and 5 also had similar statistically significant drops (p < 0.05). Global and regional cerebral blood flow were also decreased 30%, 66%, 64% and 63% at the same experimental stages (p < 0.05, ANOVA). CPB procedure with 60 min of DHCA significantly alters the blood viscoelasticity, global and regional cerebral blood flow. These large changes in viscoelasticity may have a significant impact on organ blood flow, particularly in the brain.

Testing neonate-infant membrane oxygenators with the University of Texas neonatal pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass system in vitro

Neurologic complications are already well documented after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedures in neonates and infants. Physiologic pulsatile flow CPB systems may be the alternative to the currently used steady-flow CPB circuits. In addition to the pulsatile pump, a membrane oxygenator should be chosen carefully, because only a few membrane oxygenators are suitable for physiologic pulsatile flow. We have tested four different types of neonate-infant membrane oxygenators for physiologic pulsatility with The University of Texas neonate-infant pulsatile CPB system in vitro. Evaluation criteria were based on mean ejection time, extracorporeal circuit (ECC) pressure, and upstroke of dp/dt. The results suggested that the Capiox 308 hollow-fibre membrane oxygenator produced the best physiologic pulsatile waveform according to the ejection time, ECC pressure, and the upstroke of dp/dt. The Minimax Plus and Masterflo Infant hollow-fibre membrane oxygenators also produced adequate pulsatile flow. Only the Variable Prime Cobe Membrane Lung (VPCML) Plus flat-sheet membrane oxygenator failed to reach the criteria for physiologic pulsatility. Depending on the oxygenator used, the lowest priming volume of the infant CPB circuit was 415 ml and the highest 520 ml.

The type of aortic cannula and membrane oxygenator affect the pulsatile waveform morphology produced by a neonate-infant cardiopulmonary bypass system in vivo

Although the debate still continues over the effectiveness of pulsatile versus nonpulsatile perfusion, it has been clearly proven that there are several significant physiological benefits of pulsatile perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) compared to nonpulsatile perfusion. However, the components of the extracorporeal circuit have not been fully investigated regarding the quality of the pulsatility. In addition, most of these results have been gathered from adult patients, not from neonates and infants. We have designed and tested a neonate-infant pulsatile CPB system using 2 different types of 10 Fr aortic cannulas and membrane oxygenators in 3 kg piglets to evaluate the effects of these components on the pulsatile waveform produced by the system. In terms of the methods, Group 1 (Capiox 308 hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator and DLP aortic cannula with a very short 10 Fr tip [n = 2]) was subjected to a 2 h period of normothermic pulsatile CPB with a pump flow rate of 150 ml/kg/min. Data were obtained at 5, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min of CPB. In Group 2 (Capiox 308 hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator and Elecath aortic cannula with a very long 10 Fr tip [n = 7]) and Group 3 (cobe VPCML Plus flat sheet membrane oxygenator and DLP aortic cannula with a very short 10 Fr tip [n = 7]), the subjects' nasopharyngeal temperatures were reduced to 18 degrees C followed by 1 h of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) and then 40 min rewarming. Data were obtained during normothermic CPB in the pre- and post-DHCA periods. The criteria of pulsatility evaluations were based upon pulse pressure (between 30 and 40 mm Hg), aortic dp/dt (greater than 1000 mm Hg/s), and ejection time (less than 250 ms). The results showed that Group 1 produced flow which was significantly more pulsatile than that of the other 2 groups. Although the same oxygenator was used for Group 2, the quality of the pulsatile flow decreased when using a different aortic cannula. Group 3 did not meet any of the criteria for physiologic pulsatility. In conclusion these data suggest that in addition to a pulsatile pump, the aortic cannula and the membrane oxygenator must be chosen carefully to achieve physiologic pulsatile flow during CPB.

Regional blood flow during pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass and after circulatory arrest in an infant model

BACKGROUND

Pulsatile perfusion systems have been proposed as a means of improving end-organ perfusion during and after cardiopulmonary bypass. Few attempts have been made to study this issue in an infant model.

METHODS

Neonatal piglets were subjected to nonpulsatile (n = 6) or pulsatile (n = 7) cardiopulmonary bypass and 60 minutes of circulatory arrest. Cerebral, renal, and myocardial blood flow measurements were obtained at baseline, on bypass before and after circulatory arrest, and after bypass.

RESULTS

Cerebral blood flow did not differ between groups at any time and was diminished equally in both groups after circulatory arrest. Renal blood flow was diminished in both groups during bypass but was significantly better in the pulsatile group than in the nonpulsatile group prior to, but not after, circulatory arrest. Myocardial blood flow was maintained at or above baseline in the pulsatile group throughout the study, but in the nonpulsatile group, it was significantly lower than baseline during CPB prior to circulatory arrest and lower compared with baseline and with the pulsatile group 60 minutes after CPB.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulsatile bypass does not improve recovery of cerebral blood flow after circulatory arrest, may improve renal perfusion during bypass but does not improve its recovery after ischemia, and may have beneficial effects on myocardial blood flow during bypass and after ischemia compared with nonpulsatile bypass in this infant model.