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CARDIOVASCULAR
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Volume 3, 1998, No 3/4 |
Clinical Evaluation of a
New Device to Measure Vein Graft Flow and Resistance
Intra-Operatively During Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
P. Herijgers, B.
Meyns, F. Casselman, B. Meuris, W. Flameng
Background: Venous bypass graft flow measurement is a useful tool to detect intra-operatively surgical technical anastomotic failures or poor run-off. We tested a simple device (VGF-7) that allows measuring of outflow resistance during the episode of aortic cross-clamping when corrective action can easily be performed.
Methods: In patients undergoing combined valve and coronary artery bypass surgery, venous bypass graft flow was measured with the VGF-7 during aortic cross-clamping on a cardioplegic heart, and during reperfusion on the beating heart. These measurements were compared with graft flows measured with ultrasonic transit-time volume flow measurements after weaning from extracorporeal circulation.
Results: Significant logarithmic relations exist between VGF-7 measured flow and ultrasonic transit-time volume flow. As expected mean flow decreases after removal of the aortic cross-clamp and after the heart starts beating again.
Conclusion: Outflow resistance after venous coronary bypass grafting can easily be measured with the VGF-7 device at a moment when corrective action can be performed.
Key words:venous bypass graft, flow measurement, outflow resistance, quality control, coronary artery bypass grafting
Reference:
(CVE. 1998; 3 (3/4): 170-173)
Address for
Correspondence:
Prof. Willem
Flameng, M.D.
Department of Cardiac Surgery, U.Z. K.U. Leuven
Herestraat 49
B-3000 Leuven
Belgium.
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