Minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation in cardiac surgery

Minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation (MiECC) mitigates the detrimental effects of conventional cardiopulmonary bypass circuits. Specifically, MiECC philosophy is predicated on the delivery of sufficient end-organ perfusion via a closed and more biologically compatible pump-oxygenator circuit. MiECC systems require reduced priming volume and are comprised at the very least of a centrifugal pump, a venous bubble trap/venous air removing device, a shed blood management system, biologically inert blood contact surfaces, a membrane oxygenator, a heat exchanger, and a cardioplegia system. In this setting, blood–air interaction is avoided by eliminating the venous reservoir and cardiotomy suction. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive summary of current knowledge on the use of MiECC systems in cardiac surgery.