Pulsatile Flow During Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Abstract
Over a million cardiac operations are performed annually. Most surgeries use cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to operate on a non-beating heart in a bloodless environment while maintaining systemic perfusion and oxygenation. The dysfunction of different organs after cardiac surgery is frequently related to the use of CPB.
THE DEBATE ON THE efficacy of the pulsatile flow (PF) compared to the non-PF is fascinating. This is due to the growing use of cardiocirculatory assistance techniques, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and extracorporeal circulation during cardiac surgery. The authors tried to evaluate the potential limits of the effectiveness of PF, considering the evidence coming from the literature.