Hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 versus modified fluid gelatin for cardiopulmonary bypass priming: the effects on postoperative bleeding and volume expansion needs after elective CABG.

Unlabelled: Concerned about high dose starches and potential coagulopathy, we performed a double blinded randomised prospective study on the influence of gelatine or 6% HES 130/04 pump prime on postoperative blood loss and transfusion requirements after CABG surgery.

Methods: After informed consent, 157 electively scheduled patients were randomly allocated to 6% HES (n=85) or gelatine (n=72) CPB priming. Postoperatively, chest tube drainage was noted hourly during the first 24 hours and every unit of colloid, albumin, FFP or Packed Red Cells needed to maintain hemodynamic stability was carefully registered.

Transition time: a new parameter coinciding with fair intubating conditions.

With rocuronium optimal intubating conditions are earlier achieved than the adductor pollicis muscle onset time. Using the transition time we defined a better parameter for clinical relaxation. The onset of relaxation was determined in 20 patients.

In vitro evaluation of the effect of profound haemodilution with hydroxyethyl starch 6%, modified fluid gelatin 4% and dextran 40 10% on coagulation profile measured by thromboelastography.

Synthetic colloids have been implicated as a cause of coagulopathy when administered in large quantities. The effect of profound haemodilution (50%) on coagulation profile was measured in vitro by thromboelastography. Blood samples were taken from 11 ASA grade 1 patients prior to induction of anaesthesia for elective surgery.

Operative closure of patent ductus arteriosus in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Preterm infants undergoing surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus are usually critically ill and are suffering from many concomitant diseases. The high risk of increased morbidity in transferring them from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to a distant operating room is generally recognized. For this reason we report our experience in 33 premature infants with patent ductus arteriosus who have been operated in the NICU over a six-year period.

Evaluation of the anticoagulant properties of aprotinin in vitro.

The interaction of aprotinin with normal coagulation was studied in blood samples obtained from 10 healthy subjects. Each sample was simultaneously tested in four different preparations: NaCl-treated blood: 0.03 mL 0.