The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 24, 574-581, Copyright © 1977 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
A pulsatile assist device (PAD) for use during cardiopulmonary bypass
D Bregman, M Bailin, FO Bowman Jr, EN Parodi, SM Haubert, RN Edie, HM Spotnitz, K Reemtsma and JR Malm
A pulsatile assist device (PAD) has been developed to convert roller pump
flow to pulsatile flow in a simple fashion. The device can also be used as
an arterial counterpulsator before and after cardiopulmonary bypass. The
PAD has been used in 125 adult patients undergoing open- heart operations
for coronary artery or valvular heart disease or the combination.
Ninety-two patients were in New York Heart Association Functional Class III
or IV or had ejection fractions of less than 0.3. The PAD functioned as a
hemodynamically effective arterial counterpulsator before and after
perfusion. All patients were successfully weaned from bypass with the PAD.
There has been 1 intraoperative death and 2 late deaths. Only 1 patient had
a perioperative myocardial infarction, and this person was successfully
treated with intraaortic balloon pumping. We believe the PAD is a simple
and reliable device for intraoperative counterpulsation and for the
creation of pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass. More important, use of the
PAD may decrease both the incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction
and the need for postoperative intraaortic balloon pumping.