Prognosis of hospital survivors after salvage from cardiopulmonary bypass with centrifugal cardiac assist. Since October 1986, 6 hospital survivors who were salvaged from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with the Sarns centrifugal pump were observed. Centrifugal assist was employed only after failure to wean with usual resuscitative measures, including multiple high dose inotropes and intraaortic balloon pumping. There were five men and one woman, 46-59 years of age (mean 61 years). All patients had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting, with two patients having had concomitant left ventricular aneurysmectomy and two aortic valve replacement. Five patients had left ventricular assist only and one had biventricular assist. Duration of assist ranged from 26 to 72 hr (mean 48 hr). Complications were ubiquitous, and the resultant prolonged hospitalization was resource intensive. All hospital survivors remain alive and are in New York Heart Association functional Class II, with an average follow-up of 24 months, (6-41 months). Compared with preoperative values, current left ventricular function is improved in 2 patients, has deteriorated in 3, and is unchanged in 1. Thus, the Sarns centrifugal pump will allow salvage of some patients who otherwise are not weanable from CPB. Survivors can expect a reasonable functional capacity as reflected by this experience. 