Principles of Miniaturized ExtraCorporeal Circulation

Minimal extracorporeal circulation (MECC) systems have been designed in order to reduce dramatically the side-effects of conventional extracorporeal circulation while serving as a safe perfusion technique for open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. However, the low penetration of this technology in contemporary practice means that few surgical centres have accumulated sufficient experience to share it with the scientific community. Furthermore, much of the knowledge on the use of MECC systems in cardiac surgery is widely dispersed in the literature. 

This book aims to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of MECC, offering practical advice on how to use MECC systems for those new to the field as well as tips, pitfalls, results, and latest developments. It also offers a systematic review of all published studies on a variety of MECC systems. The book will enable physicians to gain a better understanding of these new systems as well as to understand the rationale for their use in cardiac surgery. MECC requires a multidisciplinary approach, and this book will serve as an essential reference for all health care professionals working in the cardiac surgical operating room, in particular cardiothoracic surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and perfusionists.