How to obtain hemostasis after aortic surgery.
BACKGROUND
The establishment of hemostasis without the excessive transfusion of homologous blood and blood products is critical to successful aortic surgery.


RESULTS
By using preoperative autologous blood donation and intraoperative blood conservation measures, 85% of patients can undergo aortic surgical procedures without homologous blood or product transfusions, and almost three-quarters of patients will still not have required homologous transfusions by the time of discharge. In contrast, three-quarters of those patients who cannot donate blood preoperatively will require homologous blood transfusions.


CONCLUSIONS
The strategy described is safe: our overall survival rate for 204 patients has been 98%, with a 1% incidence of stroke.
Svensson
L G
LG
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Lahey Hitchcock Clinic, Burlington, Massachusetts 01805, USA.
D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000601:surgery*; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans