AbstractObjective: Evidence-based medicine is emerging as a new paradigm for medical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the amount and quality of scientific evidence supporting principles that are currently applied for cardiopulmonary bypass performance. Methods: A survey of all German departments of cardiac surgery regarding cardiopulmonary bypass performance disclosed major differences. Consequently, for 48 major principles of cardiopulmonary bypass performance, relevant Medical Subject Headings were identified, and a literature search of the Medline database was performed. Two sequentially applied sets of inclusion-exclusion criteria were selected to assess the best available evidence. Results: Thirty-three thousand arti...