[Autologous blood transfusion with erythropoietin in heart surgery in an anemic patient].
A 78-year-old woman was diagnosed as having three-vessel coronary artery disease. A coronary artery bypass operation with autologous blood transfusion was indicated because of the irregular antibody and because homologous blood transfusion would lead to hemolytic complications. Since she had anemia (hemoglobin level, 10.7 g/dl) and autologous blood could not be collected, recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) and iron preparations were administered intravenously every day. The hemoglobin level reached 12.1 g/dl two weeks after administration, and then autologous blood was donated. The first 1200 ml of blood was stored frozen, and the last 400 ml as liquid in consideration of the blood preservation period. Surgery was performed uneventfully after 8 weeks of rHuEPO administration. No homologous blood transfusion was required during and after surgery. By using rHuEPO, it is thus possible to perform heart surgery without homologous blood transfusion even in patients with anemia, for whom blood transfusions have been considered necessary.
Watanabe
Y
Y
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Fuse
K
K
Naruse
Y
Y
Kobayashi
T
T
Konishi
H
H
Shibata
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000906:Antibodies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin