Technique Articles

Use of a Modified Cardiopulmonary Bypass Circuit for Suction Embolectomy with the AngioVac Device

Address correspondence to: Cornelius M. Dyke, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sanford Health Fargo, 801 Broadway North, Fargo, ND 58103. E-mail: cornelius.dyke@sanfordhealth.org

Received: 5 February 2017
Accepted: 16 July 2017

Abstract

The AngioVac suction cannula and circuit were designed for the percutaneous removal of soft thrombus and emboli in procedures requiring extracorporeal circulatory support. We describe a modification of the AngioVac suction catheter and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit to effectively remove thrombus while maintaining the ability to rapidly initiate full CPBs during a medical crisis. This article will discuss the design concepts of the modified circuit as well as procedural protocols and considerations. The design modifications of incorporating an oxygenator, reservoir, and bridge allow for an increased flexibility that allows adaption to veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or full CPB support when required for oxygenation or hemodynamic support.