The effects of differing anticoagulant regimes on blood quality after cell salvage in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG): a pilot study.

Background: Cell salvage reduces allogenic blood transfusion requirements in surgery. We present a pilot study exploring the impact of anticoagulant choice, citrate or heparin, on the quality of cell salvaged blood in adults undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Materials And Methods: Elective on pump CABG patients were randomly allocated to citrate or heparin anticoagulation.