Persistent contamination of heater-cooler units for extracorporeal circulation cured by chlorhexidine-alcohol in water tanks.

Recently, surgical site infections due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been linked to heater-cooler unit contamination. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and manufacturers now recommend the use of hydrogen peroxide in filtered water to fill heater-cooler unit tanks. After implementation of these measures in our hospital, heater-cooler units became heavily contaminated by opportunistic waterborne pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

[Description of the two surgical myocardial revascularisation techniques].

A coronary artery bypass involves taking blood vessels from another part of the patient's body to bypass one or several major coronary stenoses. Coronary artery bypass using cardiopulmonary bypass and off-pump coronary artery bypass are the two methods used to revascularise the heart after a myocardial infarction.

[Extracorporeal circulation: an extraordinary tool that is not just for cardiac surgeons].

Extracorporeal circulation (ECC) is not only used for open heart surgery. There are also other surgical and medical applications. ECC can be used for encephalic arteries surgery to induce hypothermia and maximally protect the brain.