The reported incidence of postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock nok responding to conventional therapy is still 0.1 to 0.8%. For this group of patients, more aggressive form of circulatory support must be employed. Centrifugal pumps are a ventricular
assist
device most commonly used on this purpose, due to low cost and easy availability. Currently, however, clinical experience of centrifugal pumps as a ventricular assist device is rarely reported in Korea. From January 1992 to January 1996, 2986
patients
underwent cardiac operations on cardiopulmonary bypass at Seoul National University Hospital. Refractory postcardiotomy cardiac failure requring ventricular support with a Biomedicus centrifugal pump developed in ten of these patients. There were
eight
men and two women, ranged in age from nine years to 77 years with a mean of 50±20 years. The primary surgical procedures consisted of isolated coronary revascularization in four patients, combined coronary revascularization and aortic valve
replacement
in two, aortic dissection repair in two, pulmonary embolectomy in one, and heart transplantation in one. Of the ten patients, five had left ventricular assistance, one had right ventricular assistance, and four had biventricular assistance.
Duration of
ventricular assistance ranged from 24 to 175 hours, with a mean of 76±51 hours. Seven patients were weaned from ventricular assistance, and four of them discharged. The causes of death for nonsurvivors were progressive cardiac failure in two
patients
and multiorgan failure, intractable ventricular fibrillation, irreversible brain injury, and mechanical problem, respectively, in the other four, Survival was not predicted by time on cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross-clamp time, or duration
of
ventricular support. Major complications included bleeding(7), renal failure(6), infection(3) and neurologic complication(2). These results indicate that a centrifugal pump can provide reasonably satisfactory short-term circulatory support.
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