Effect of ultrafiltration on priming solution with preserved blood for extracorporeal circulation in infants

In pediatric cardiac surgery, the initial priming solutions of the extracorporeal circulation include preserved blood. In an effort to eliminate unfavorable effects of preserved blood on the circulation, the authors introduced the preserved blood to ultrafiltration (UF). Seventeen infants with congenital heart defects were included in this study. UF was performed with a polysulfone ultrafiltrator before extracorporeal circulation. The 1600 ml of fluid, consisting of saline, 5% glucose, and maltose, were added to 400 ml of preserved blood, and the same amount of fluid was removed by UF. The concentrations of potassium, NH3, and bradykinin in the priming blood decreased significantly after UF. In the UF group, water balance during extracorporeal circulation and max. Creatinine-phosphokinase levels after surgery were better than controls. These data suggest that UF is able to remove some substances and result in reduction of an unfavorable effect on the circulation.