Parallel replacement of the oxygenator that is not transferring oxygen: the PRONTO procedure.

We present here a technique to replace a failed oxygenator by inserting a second oxygenator in parallel (PRONTO) within the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit. Oxygenator failure is a potential hazard that may result in patient injury or death. Although failures are rare, safety surveys conducted over the last 25 years suggest that the incidence of oxygenator failures is on the rise. This emergency procedure may be easily applied to any standard CPB circuit with a few minor alterations. The technique is simple; it can be carried out rapidly. An important advantage of this technique is that it may be executed without interrupting blood flow to the patient, which may reduce the incidence of patient injury or death.