RF70 RESULTS FROM AN IN VIVO COMPARISON OF THE OPTIFLOW AND EZ GLIDE AORTIC DISPERSION CANNULAE

Abstract

Background: Morbidity associated with embolization during cannulation in coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) is strongly related to patient characteristics/comorbidities, the arterial cannulation site and the shape of the arterial cannula tip.. The desired features of an arterial cannula should be to prevent those morbid effects and focus on achieving higher flows with lower cannula pressures. Methods: To evaluate the in vivo performance of two aortic dispersion flow cannulas: Optiflow (Sorin Group, Italy) and EZ Glide (Edwards Lifesciences, USA) in relation to cannula pressures, pump flow rates and plasma free hemoglobin. Over a 12 month period we collected data on a prospective, randomized (1:1), non-blinded, monocentric study with a cohort of 30 patients (Optiflow group N = 15; EZ Glide group N = 15). Results: The Optiflow cannula was found to have decreasing cannula pressures as pump flow rates increased (112.3 ± 10.9 mmHg vs 131.1 ± 11.4 mmHg, p < 0.0001). Results also indicated no significant differences between groups in plasma free hemoglobin increases (p = 0.41) or total microembolic signals counts during cardiac surgery (p = 0.63). Conclusions: Both Optiflow and EZ Glide dispersion flow arterial cannulas performed well, but the Optiflow cannula demonstrated an ability to increase pump flow rates with lower arterial line and cannula pressures than the EZ Glide cannula. This implies an ability to improve peripheral perfusion while reducing cannula shear stress and reducing the risk of endothelial damage in an area where the cannula jet hits the intraluminal aortic wall, thereby having the potential to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic plaque dislodgement.