title: Open heart surgery: preliminary report of blood transfusion practice and haematological changes. Experience from a Nigerian tertiary teaching hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aimed at reviewing the utilisation of blood / blood products and haematological profile changes, with a view to developing a hospital transfusion guideline in open heart surgery in Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  The surgeries were performed at the intensive care unit theatre of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Eligibility for surgery was determined by the Cardiologist and the cardiovascular Surgeon based on clinical presentation, electro- and echocardiography assessments among other tests. Fourteen open-heart surgeries were conducted. Blood products demand for different procedures and several peri-operative laboratory parameters such as full blood count, and coagulation profile were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The greatest demand for blood products was found in valvular surgery and atrial septal defect (ASD) where a mean of four units of red cell concentrate, fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate were transfused. Other surgeries such as, patent ductus arteriosus, Tetralogy of Fallot did not require much transfusion of blood products. Overall, the pre-operative and post-operative haematocrit, white cell count, platelet count, and international normalized ratio (INR) mean were 37% /25%,4.9 X 10 9/L / 11.4 X 10 9/L, 182 X 10 9/L/ 97 X 10 9/L, and 1.15/ 2.2 respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It appears that transfusion requirement in most open heart surgeries aside from valvular surgery and atrial septal defect (ASD) repair, is minimal. Patients for valvular heart surgeries and ASD repair should be evaluated for possible autologous blood transfusion.
authors: Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Nigeria.
authors: A O
authors: AO
authors: Dosunmu
authors: A A
authors: AA
authors: Akinbami
authors: O O
authors: OO
authors: Oshinaike
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Adediran
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Adeyemo
authors: A S
authors: AS
authors: Akanmu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016913:Blood Component Transfusion / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D010976:Platelet Count; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D055815:Young Adult