Does vacuum-assisted venous drainage increase gaseous microemboli during cardiopulmonary bypass?

Background: Vacuum-assisted venous drainage enables adequate drainage through small-diameter cannulas but concerns are that it results in more gaseous microemboli delivered to the patient.

Methods: Five identical embolus detectors monitored the propagation of entrained air through a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) model. The ability of the CPB circuit to remove gaseous microemboli was studied with vacuum-assisted venous drainage and gravity siphon venous drainage using different pump speeds and rates of gaseous microemboli delivery.

How effective are cardiopulmonary bypass circuits at removing gaseous microemboli?

An association has been demonstrated between intravascular microemboli and organ injury during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Air may be inadvertently introduced into the venous line during CPB resulting in the formation of gaseous microemboli (GME). We studied the ability of CPB circuits, from five different manufacturers, to remove GME originating from the introduction of air into the venous line.