Complications
Taking over the heart–lung function with the help of the heart-lung machine is a serious intervention in the body and can bring about a variety of complications. The blood is moved through the artificial circuit of the machine and this material is completely different from the natural blood vessels. If the blood is not sufficiently diluted with medication, thrombi can form.
These thrombi can get stuck in smaller vessels and lead to strokes and other infarctions. In addition, the blood components can change and certain portions can become too small. These include, for example, the coagulation factors in the blood.
The water and salt balance can also shift under therapy with the heart–lung machine and trigger life-threatening complications. In addition to blood clots, air bubbles in the machine can also enter the blood and also cause circulatory disorders. Kidney function and lung function can also be restricted. The altered blood flow can also directly cause neurological damage due to an oxygen deficiency. The complications depend on the general condition of the person affected and the underlying disease.
Fields of application
The heart-lung machine can be used in a variety of operations that require surgery on the heart. These include valve replacements (mitral and aortic valves), heart transplants, artificial heart implantation, bypasses, heart defect corrections and plastics of the large incoming and outgoing heart vessels. However, a heart-lung machine may also be used for lung transplantation.
Costs
In the medical fee schedule, the use of a heart-lung machine is estimated at 1850€ as a basic fee. The amount increases depending on the duration of therapy. The treatment is fully covered by all statutory health insurance companies. A heart-lung machine is already an expensive machine at the time of purchase and is only available in a few large clinics. In addition to the medical supervision there is always a technician on site who is familiar with the machine.
