Mini ECC vs. conventional ECC: an examination of venous oxygen saturation, haemoglobin, haematocrit, flow, cardiac index and oxygen delivery.

In our clinical daily routine, it is noticeable that lower cardiac indices are reached more often without negative consequences when using mini extracorporeal circulation (ECC) systems than when using open ECC systems. We evaluated haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, blood flow, cardiac index (CI) and mixed-venous oxygen saturation (vSO2) in patients undergoing surgery using mini ECC (n=10 cases) and ECC (n=10 cases). This analysis shows that, with a mini ECC system, the range of oxygen delivery is equal to that achieved when using an open standard ECC system, despite a lower cardiac index. This phenomenon can be explained through a significant lower haemodilution and, therefore, a higher concentration of haemoglobin.