The utilization of centrifugal pumps as circulatory support in patients with cardiogenic shock after cardiac surgery and as support in patients waiting for cardiac transplant has been progressively extended. Some centers utilize the centrifugal pump in routine extracorporeal circulation as a substitute for roller pump. At INCOR, we operared upon 2 groups of triple vessel disease patients submitted to coronary arterial bypass graft (CABG). They were operated upon by the same surgeon, with the same perfusionist and with the same perfusionist and the same myocardial protection method (cristaloid cardioplegia, systemic hipotermia at 28C and topic hipotermia with NaCI 0,9%). All pre-operatory parameters in both groups were statistically similar: age, sex, corporeal surface and analized hematologic parameters). Twenty-seven patients were consecutively and alternatively operated, 13 with centrifugal pump and 14 with roller pump. We utilized the Macchi bubble oxygenator. The average perfusion time was 105 minutes in the roller pump group and 103 minutes in the centrifugal pump group. We analized protrombin time, haptoglobin, activated partial tromboplastin time, trombin time and platelet number in the pre and pos extracorporeal circulation time, comparing both groups. There was no statistical significant difference between the several parameters. We conclude that in habitual duration extracorporeal circulation there is no hematological difference between centrifugal and roller pumps.
hemolysis in extracorporeal circulation; extracorporeal circulation; extracorporeal circulation