Reduction of ischemia with a new flow-adjustable hemoperfusion pump during coronary angioplasty. The Coronary Hemoperfusion Ischemia Prevention Study (CHIPS) Investigators.

A new flow-adjustable pump for coronary hemoperfusion to prevent ischemia during routine coronary angioplasty was evaluated in a multicenter prospective study of 110 patients. The protocol included patients who had angina or ST segment elevation during a control balloon inflation of less than or equal to 3 min. Hemoperfusion was performed by means of a new large lumen angioplasty catheter utilizing the patient's renal vein or femoral artery blood. Vessels perfused were the left anterior descending coronary artery (n = 74), right coronary artery (n = 39), left circumflex artery (n = 9) and coronary vein grafts (n = 15). Mean (+/- SD) perfusion flow was 41 +/- 9 ml/min (range 17 to 70); mean perfusion time was 9.3 +/- 4 min (median 8.5, range 2 to 30). Chest pain score (0 to 4) decreased from 2.9 +/- 1 to 1.4 +/- 1 during hemoperfusion (p less than 0.001); ST segment elevation score (0 to 4) decreased from 2.6 +/- 1 to 0.7 +/- 1 (p less than 0.005) and inflation time increased from 1.3 +/- 0.9 to 7 +/- 4 min, (p less than 0.001). At least a 50% increase in tolerated inflation time was obtained in 104 patients (95%). Free plasma hemoglobin and creatine kinase levels did not increase significantly over baseline values. Angioplasty was successful in 107 patients (97%), with mean stenosis reduced from 87 +/- 11% to 20 +/- 17%; 3 patients had urgent bypass surgery, 2 (1.8%) had a myocardial infarction (1 Q wave, 1 non-Q wave) and 2 (1.8%) died later in the hospital of probable noncoronary causes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)