In vitro comparison tests of three LV vent valves.

Many surgical teams employ a sump pump to vent the left ventricle (LV). The problems associated with this technique are related to safety and convenience. If the flow is accidentally reversed in the LV vent line, air embolism accidents and subsequent litigation may be the result. If the cannula is occluded, it is inconvenient to juggle pump speed to prevent the line from collapsing while maintaining gentle but adequate suction. In this study we in vitro tested three commercially available LV vent valves (RLV-2100 "B," VRV-200 B, H-130) (GLV did not wish to send samples for comparison at the time of this study). Each valve was designed to: regulate suction in the LV vent line; prevent the flow of air towards the heart; and vent downstream pressure to the atmosphere. Each valve was tested for suction at various flow rates, pressure heads, and for the presence of air leakage during reversed flow conditions. The results of pressure and suction tests during normal flow and occluded line conditions have been tabulated. We found the RLV-2100 "B" offers the safest combination of suction control and pressure relief. The most astonishing fact learned was the RLV-2100 "B" was the only valve which prevented the flow of air towards the heart during reversed flow. As a result, we elected to use only this valve in our clinical practice.