The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 70, 631-643, Copyright © 1975 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Cannulation of the proximal aorta during long-term membrane lung perfusion
MT McEnany, WM Zapol, J Seebacher, M Skoskiewicz, RC Schneider, AJ Erdmann, MT Snider, DJ Kanarek and AG Peck
Prolonged extracorporeal oxygenator support for acute respiratory failure
is a clinical reality. Recent experience with 4 patients has demonstrated
an advantage in delivery of saturated blood to the root of the aorta during
venoarterial (VA) bypass. We have been able to perfuse the heart and
bilateral cerebral hemispheres by advancing the tip of a large perfusion
cannula to the aortic root from the common femoral artery. When the
catheter did not pass beyond the transverse aortic arch, there was marked
asymmetry of oxygenator perfusion, as determined by differential oxygen
tension in right and left radial artery blood and by xenon-133 scans
following isotope injection into the arterial return line. Long-term VA
bypass lasting from 5 to 11 days resulted in long-term survival in 2
patients with post-traumatic gram-negative pneumonitis. The other patients,
who had viral pneumonitis and post- transfusion respiratory failure, died
after 9 and 11 days of membrane oxygenator support. No embolic lesions or
arterial or valvular injuries were discovered at autopsy. This is a safe
and useful method of providing oxygenated blood to the aortic root for
equal distribution to the rest of the body.