International Pediatric Perfusion Practice: 2011 Survey Results

New cardiopulmonary bypass devices and new innovative methods are
frequently reported in the literature; however, the actual extent to
which they are adopted into clinical practice is not well known. We distributed an electronic survey to 289 domestic and international pediatric congenital surgery centers in an effort to measure attributes of current clinical practice. The survey
consisted of 107 questions relating to program demographics, equipment,
and techniques. Responses were received from 146 (51%) of queried
centers and were stratified into five distinct geographic regions (North
America, Central and South America, Oceana, Europe, and Asia). Most of
the responding centers reported use of hard shell venous reservoirs.
Closed venous systems were used at 50% of reporting centers in Central
and South America as compared with only 3% in North America and 10% in
Asia. Seventy-one percent of the programs used some form of modified
ultrafiltration. Use of an arterial bubble detection system varied
between 50% use (Central and South America) vs. 100% (North America and
Oceana). “Del Nido” cardioplegia is more common in North America (32%)
than any other continent, whereas Custodial HTK solution is much more
prevalent in Europe (31%). Wide variation in practice was evident across geographic regions, suggesting opportunities for further investigation and improvement.