Retrospective investigation of the effect of retrograde autologous prime blood preservation method used in open heart surgery on postoperative hemogram and blood transfusion

During open heart surgery, prime solutions are used to deaerate the circuit lines of the heart-lung machine and to fill the system. However, these prime solutions may cause hemodilution and unnecessary volume overload in the patient during the bypass process. One of the methods used to minimize this problem is the retrograde autologous prime (RAP) technique. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of ROP technique on hemoglobin levels and the related changes in the amount of blood and blood products used. For this reason, 80 adult patients who underwent open heart surgery at Karadeniz Technical University Farabi Hospital, who had an ejection fraction of 30% or higher, who did not have chronic renal failure (CRF), who did not have underlying hematologic disease and a known bleeding pathology, who had a HCT value between 25 and 45% in the preop hemogram, who did not receive dialysis treatment, and who were operated under elective conditions were included in the study. Within the scope of the study, two groups, each including 40 patients, were determined and routine prime method was used in the control group, while the ROP technique was preferred in the other group. Standard Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and perfusion procedures were performed in both groups. In the evaluations conducted after the intraoperative and postoperative periods, it was found that the average hemoglobin levels of the patients in the ROP group were statistically significantly higher than those of the control group. At the same time, it was observed that the transfusion rates of erythrocyte suspension and other blood products were significantly lower in this group compared to the control group. Key words: Open Heart Surgery, Hematocrit, Hemoglobin, Cardiopulmonary Bypass, Retrograde Autologous Prime, Perfusion, Transfusion.