Open AccessBlood Conservation in Cardiac Surgery
Author(s) -
G. S. Tyson,
Robert N. Sladen,
V. Spainhour,
Michael A. Savitt,
T. Bruce Ferguson,
Walter G. Wolfe
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
annals of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.153
H-Index - 309
eISSN - 1528-1140
pISSN - 0003-4932
DOI - 10.1097/00000658-198906000-00011
Subject(s) - medicine , blood conservation , autotransfusion , cryoprecipitate , hematocrit , cardiopulmonary bypass , blood transfusion , surgery , blood management , cardiac surgery , anesthesia , clotting factor , platelet , autologous blood
To evaluate the effect of blood conservation in cardiac surgery, use of blood products was analyzed in patients undergoing CABG before and after implementation of blood conservation techniques. Age, sex, coronary anatomy, ejection fraction, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and the preoperative hematocrit, platelet count, and clotting studies were similar in both groups. Methods of blood conservation included autologous transfusion of blood withdrawn before bypass, autotransfusion of shed mediastinal blood, strict protocols for transfusion, and acceptance of normovolemic anemia. With blood conservation, 25.5% of patients received no transfusions and 54.9% received blood only. Significant reductions (p less than 0.001) were achieved in the transfusion of blood from 6.8 +/- 2.4 to 2.3 +/- 2.6 units per patient and of plasma from 2.5 +/- 2.2 to 0.6 +/- 2.0 units per patient. Reductions in the use of platelets and cryoprecipitate were substantial, although not significant. Total donor exposure was reduced significantly from 13.1 +/- 7.3 to 4.3 +/- 6.7 donors per patient. The postoperative hematocrit was significantly lower and remained so at discharge. However, 30 days later there was no difference. This reduction in transfusion requirements decreased costs and donor exposure.