[Implementation of modern principles of blood saving methods at cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation]

The introduction of principles of bloodless surgery into different areas of practical medicine is favoured by not only risks from donor blood transfusion, but also by the results of the researches dealing with the body's adaptation to acute anemia, with the determination of its allowable limits, and with much experience with bloodless operations used in Jehovah's Witnesses. The present study was undertaken to make a scientific-and-practical assessment of actual own blood funds and their introduction in order to decrease or refuse to use donor blood at cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation (EC). A retrospective analysis of hemotransfusion policy in 1993-2001 was conducted in over 2000 patients operated on under EC for coronary heart disease, acquired and congenital cardiac diseases at the Open Cardiac Surgery Department, Russian Surgery Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. Own blood saving methods, such as intraoperative autohemotransfusion as two modalities, washed autoerythrocytic reinfusion, autoplasma reinfusion, as well as the use of different pharmaceuticals effective in reducing hemorrhage after EC were evaluated. The introduction of the above own blood saving methods may decrease the use of donor erythrocytes and freshly frozen plasma by 2.6 and 1.8 times, respectively, may completely refuse transfusing thromboplasma, assure adequate hemostasis, reduce the incidence of adverse reactions associated with donor blood transfusion in cardiac surgical patients. A complex use of the developed saving donor blood methods and pharmaceuticals aimed at improving hemostasis allowed donor blood transfusion to be completely refused in more than 70% of patients at aortocoronary bypass surgery under EC.