Cardiopulmonary Bypass is the most common example of the technique by which the circulation of blood by the heart and the functions of the lungs are replaced temporarily by passing the blood through an extracorporeal device that both oxygenates and returns the blood to the arterial system of the patient. We perform these techniques on children and adults. 

In an historic perspective cardiothoracic surgery is a major source of the total amount of blood used for transfusions purposes. The propensity for blood loss during open heart procedures is due to a combination of extensive intervention involving major vascular structures and the inherent derangements of hemostasis that accompanies the use of extracorporeal circulatory techniques. In our daily practice we use our knowledge and skills in the blood management field to reduce blood loss and to discard the use of homologous blood products as much as possible using low prime systems, acute normovolemic hemodilution, use of an autotransfusion device, exclusion of suction blood and processing the residual volume of the heart lung machine.