Extracorporeal Circulation, Optimized: A Pilot Study

: We designed a pilot study to assess as primary end point the safety and efficacy of a new phosphorylcholine‐coated, closed cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system (extracorporeal circulation, optimized [ECC.O], Dideco, Mirandola, Italy). The secondary end point was to compare results with two retrospectively matched cohorts of patients who underwent isolated coronary artery by‐pass graft (CAGB) with nonphosphorylcholine‐bonded circuits and cardiotomy suction (Group II, n = 32) and off‐pump coronary artery by‐pass (OPCAB) (Group III, n = 26). In January 2005, 30 patients (Group I) undergoing first‐time CABG were assigned to the ECC.O group. Five minutes after CPB, initial hematocrit levels were significantly and consistently highest in Group I relative to Group II (Group I, 29.7 ± 4.4 vs. Group II, 22.7 ± 4.1; P