First experience with a new portable cardiopulmonary bypass system - LIFEBRIDGE B2T with percutaneous femoral cannulation

Cardiopulmonary bypass was rarely used for patients undergoing emergency circulatory resuscitation due to the large size and complicated set-up of currently available systems. The LIFEBRIDGE B2T system is a new portable system consisting of a disposable patient unit with a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit, a control unit, and a base unit with user interface. The portability of the system (17 kg, with a 2.5-hour LiPo battery capacity), as well as the simplicity of an automated user interface (including semi-automatic system priming and air elimination), is designed to address these concerns and allow for mobile mechanical support in a variety of situations and settings. In this first experience, we found the LIFEBRIDGEreg B2T system to be safe and easy to use even for non-perfusionists and worthy of further investigation in non-standard surgical settings.