Flow Awareness as a New Safety Device for Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Safety devices such as bubble detectors and level detectors have been in use for more than 40 years and initially reduced the risks associated with gaseous emboli during cardiopulmonary bypass; however, the risks have not been eliminated. This research explored a new safety device designed to further reduce these risks: Flow Awareness Technology. This device visually alerts the perfusionist when the ratio of venous return does not equal the amount of arterial flow. To determine the efficacy of this device, 33 participants with no perfusion background were randomly assigned to Group A (flow awareness only), Group B (level detector only), or Group C (control). These participants were instructed to turn off the arterial pump when they noticed that the fluid in the venous reservoir had begun to drop or if their assigned safety device was triggered. The venous line was fully occluded at times unknown to the participants. These times coincided with before, during, or after times that the participants were expected to paper-chart known values. Each participant's amount of fluid lost (in milliliters) from the reservoir and reaction time (in seconds) to shut off the arterial roller pump were measured. Group A lost an average of 80.8 mL, Group B lost an average of 173.6 mL, and Group C lost an average of 140.3 mL. Average measured time for each group is as follows: Group A took 2.16 seconds, Group B took 4.31 seconds, and Group C took 4.09 seconds to shut off the arterial pump. Statistics support the hypothesis that Flow Awareness Technology significantly reduces the reaction time to an adverse event such as a sudden occlusion of the venous line, thus reducing the amount of fluid lost during such an event.