The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 32, 401-405, Copyright © 1981 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
A recirculating cooling system for improved topical cardiac hypothermia
FL Rosenfeldt, A Fambiatos, J Pastoriza-Pinol and GR Stirling
A simple system is described that recirculates cooling fluid for topical
cardiac hypothermia. This disposable system can produce a flow of 1,500
ml/min at 2 degrees to 4 degrees C. The recirculating cooler produced
significantly lower myocardial temperatures than a conventional
fluid-discard system in 22 patients having coronary operation. This system
has been used as part of the technique of hypothermic cardioplegia in more
than 600 patients. During various cardiac procedures, septal temperatures
were maintained well below 20 degrees C for 60 minutes or more without the
need to reinfuse the cardioplegic solution.