[Extracorporeal circulation and cardiopulmonary bypass].

Modern extracorporeal circulation is state of the art in science and technology. Development of cardiovascular surgery is based on the progress of extracorporeal circulation. If an accident occurs in extracorporeal circulation during a surgical procedure, the patient may suffer a severe injury of his vital organs. Safety management is essential in the operation of extracorporeal circulation for the repair of cardiovascular diseases. Standard manuals of safety management of cardiopulmonary bypass system has recently published by the Japan Society of Extracorporeal Circulation. Collaboration between surgeons and perfusionists is important to develop better cardiopulmonary bypass system and to keep the safety management at high level in cardiovascular surgery.