[Transfusion of fresh frozen plasma for massive intraoperative bleeding before and after the new guidelines]

"Guidelines on Blood Products Use" published in 1999 recommends restricting the use of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) solely to correct multiple coagulation factor deficiencies. We retrospectively studied the use of FFP in patients with massive intraoperative bleeding before and after publication of the new guidelines. There were 22 patients whose blood loss was more than their circulating blood volume (7% of body weight) in the past two years. The mean blood loss was 1.4 times of the circulating blood volume both before and after publication of the new guidelines. FFP was given to all 22 patients. The mean dose of FFP decreased from 26.8 ml.kg-1 to 17.8 ml.kg-1 after publication of the new guidelines but the difference was not statistically significant. The volume infused was more than that recommended to improve blood coagulation in massive bleeding, i.e., 8-10 ml.kg-1.