Pulsatile flow during cardiopulmonary bypass. Evaluation of a new pulsatile pump

Pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been suggested to be superior to nonpulsatile CPB. This report concerns a newly developed pulsatile pump for clinical use. It is designed as a positive displacement pump, with blood allowed to collect in a valved cavity from which it is ejected by the reciprocating action of a piston. Using a uniform procedure of anaesthesia and surgery, 14 pigs were subjected to CPB at 37 degrees C for 3 hours. The pulsatile pump was used in seven pigs and a conventional roller pump in the other seven. The wave-form of the pulse during pulsatile CPB was similar to that recorded in the pigs before bypass. The values for rate of pressure change with respect to time (dp/dt) obtained in the aorta were close to the pre-CPB values. No difference was found between the two groups with respect to platelet count or haemolysis. The investigated pulsatile device appeared to be reliable and easy to handle, and the pulsation it produced closely resembled the physiologic pulse-wave form.