Augmented venous return allows the perfusionist to use a venous line having a smaller inner diameter thereby reducing prime volume and allows the surgeon to use a smaller venous cannula resulting in easier insertion, better surgical view and a smaller surgical incision. Since venous bags have been shown to be clinically safer than hard shall reservoirs, we propose to bring to the clinical market a new soft-shell venous reservoir that would provide vacuum-assisted venous drainage. The proposed system would significantly improve both the safety and operability of present cardiopulmonary bypass procedures at reduced cost.
Over 600,000 cardiopulmonary bypass procedures are conducted annually. Each requires a venous reservoir. The proposed soft shell reservoir is expected to compete in cost with the hard-shell reservoirs and provide the safety inherent in venous bags. It will also offer vacuum assisted drainage and faster setup time, and lower inventory.
