Modern medicine is incredible in so many ways. This is just a random question I was curious about. Can any surgeons or doctors explain the process, step by step? Thanks. 🙂
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I’m a perfusionist. I run that machine that pumps the blood around. I don’t know how much step by step you want, or what your knowledge base is on anatomy but I can help you understand and you can ask questions if you’re still unclear. The cardiopulmonary bypass machine is set up and primed (filled) with a water-like solution (we use normosol- it’s basically saline with other electrolytes) that we can use to debubble the tubing as much as possible. A cannula is connected to the aorta (arterial side) and a cannula is connected to the vena cava, which drains the blood passively to a reservoir. From the reservoir, it’s pumped through a centrifugal or roller pump to a membrane oxygenator, which exchanges gas like your lungs would do, and then pumped to the aortic cannula and out to the body. A solution called cardioplegia is used to keep the heart from beating, and the lungs are removed and replaced. Hope that gives you enough information, but ask away if you want to know more specifics.
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