Patent ID: 6852280

Claim:
A cardiopulmonary bypass circuit for oxygenating blood outside a patient and circulating oxygenated blood through the patient, said circuit comprising: a) a blood reservoir; b) a perfusion pump in fluid communication with said reservoir; c) a blood oxygenator in fluid communication with said pump; d) an arterial filter in fluid communication with said oxygenator; e) a first length of tubing located to place said reservoir in venous-side fluid communication with the patient; f) a second length of tubing located to place said arterial filter in arterial-side fluid communication with the patient; g) a shunt placing said first length of tubing and said pump in fluid communication and bypassing said blood reservoir; h) manual selecting structure which permits selection of one of said shunt and said blood reservoir to be included in said circuit and the other of said shunt and said blood reservoir to be excluded from said circuit; and i) structure external said reservoir which prevents any store of blood in said blood reservoir from being pulled by said perfusion pump when said blood reservoir is excluded from said circuit such that said perfusion pump pulls blood from said first length of tubing while bypassing the any store of blood in said blood reservoir, wherein said circuit has a priming volume of less than approximately 800 ml.