Postperfusion lung syndrome. Comparison of Travenol bubble and membrane oxygenators.

To examine the role of the oxygenator in the postperfusion lung syndrome, we studied 16 patients undergoing aorta-coronary bypass with a bubble oxygenator and 14 similar patients with a membrane oxygenator both before and for 2 days after the operation. To maintain the same pulmonary artery occluded pressure and hemoglobin level at the end of the surgical procedure, significantly more blood was required in the bubble than in the membrane group. Postoperative pulmonary dysfunction in the bubble group was characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and lung water. The increase in lung water was present after bubble oxygenation on three successive measurements, whereas there was no increase in lung water above control value at any measurement time in the membrane group. The bubble group had a significantly greater increase in PVR at the immediate postoperative study time than did the membrane group. PVR returned to control value for the duration of study. These differences in lung water and PVR measurements may be related to greater blood component trauma with a Travenol bubble oxygenator than with a membrane lung.