Retrograde autologous priming in surgery of thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Objectives: Surgery of thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is associated with blood loss and coagulopathy and a high need for red blood cell (RBC) volume. Retrograde autologous priming (RAP) decreases haemodilution during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The aim of this study was to show the effect of RAP during surgery of TAA repair on haemodilution, the need for RBC transfusion and the postoperative course compared to conventional CPB (cCPB).