Evaluation of coagulation parameters of heart surgery patients after using intraoperative cell salvage

Bleeding management during and after surgery, including the use of cell salvage device (CS), is one of the pillars of patient blood management.The purpose of this article is to investigate the coagulation status of heart surgery patients after using the CS device.

This cohort study (three days) was conducted in the third referral hospital in July 2019 after the establishment of patient blood management. The criteria for entering the study were selecting heart surgery patients who had given informed written consent to join the comprehensive program "patient blood management". After surgery and using the CS device, the patient's vital signs, the total bleeding volume in mL from the chest tube, as well as coagulation parameters were considered in the intensive care unit after surgery for three days.

In July 2019, for sixteen heart surgery patients the CS device was used, including 7 women and 9 men, with an average age of 61.36 years. Three days post-surgery, their vital signs stabilized, and no further surgical intervention was necessary. Follow-up tests revealed a significant reduction in bleeding from the first 6 hours through the end of the first day and from the second to the third day (p = 0.027). Platelet levels and PTT showed no significant changes over time (p = 0.009 and p = 0.006).

The patients’ vital signs were stable after using the device in the intensive care unit, and there was no correlation between the amount of bleeding and the laboratory parameters.