Clinical evaluation of the centrifugal pump in open heart surgery: a comparative study of different pumps.

The centrifugal pump is now widely used in open heart surgery for its clinical benefits related to the blood elements and the coagulation system. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical performances of and the outcomes offered by 4 types of centrifugal pumps. For each pump, we investigated the effects on the blood elements, coagulation system, complements, and immunoglobulins during open heart surgery. Four types of centrifugal pumps were used: the HPM-15 (Nikkiso Co.), the Capiox (Terumo Co.), the Lifestream (St. Jude Medical Co.), and the BP-80 (Medtronic, BioMedicus Co.). The platelet count, lactate dehydrogenase (LDI-I), antithrombin III (AT III), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), complements (C3, C4 and CH50), and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM) were measured before and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The platelet count was decreased more significantly by the HPM-15 than by any of the other pumps. The other parameters showed no difference among the 4 pumps. In clinical use, each of the 4 types of centrifugal pumps was safe.