An improved method of topical cardiac hypothermia.

Current methods of myocardial protection usually employ together with topical hypothermia by pericardial lavage. Pericardial lavage is inconvenient, inconsistent, and noisy: it wastes blood: it cannot cool the right ventricle effectively. We use a new myocardial protection jacket to cool the heart during operation other than simple coronary bypass procedures. Myocardial temperatures are maintained at 7 degrees to 14 degrees C indefinitely without reinfusion of cardioplegia solution. The jacket is a more convenient and much more effective method of obtaining profound topical hypothermia.