Veno-right ventricle bypass as a lung support system during pulmonary surgery without ventilation

A special lung support technique is required during carinal or tracheal surgery Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become an accepted technique for temporary lung support. Therefore, the purpose of our experiments was to evaluate the effect of veno-venous ECMO (veno-right ventricle bypass) without ventilatory support. In five mongrel dogs, two venous drainage cannula were inserted into the superior vena cava through the right jugular vein and the inferior vena cava through the right femoral vein. In addition, a venous return cannula was inserted into the right ventricle (RV) through the right jugular vein. The veno-right ventricle (veno-RV) bypass system was composed of a centrifugal pump and membrane oxygenator; pump flow was maintained at 88 +/- 14 ml/kg/min. Excellent hemodynamics and good oxygenation were obtained. On the basis of these results, we conclude that veno-RV bypass may be used as lung support during pulmonary surgery even though the native lung is not ventilated during the veno-RV bypass procedure.