Factor VIII inhibitor bypass activity and recombinant activated factor VII in cardiac surgery.

Objective: Postcardiopulmonary bypass hemorrhage remains a serious complication of cardiac surgery. Given concerns regarding adverse effects of blood product transfusion and limited efficacy of current antifibrinolytics, procoagulant medications, including recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) and factor eight inhibitor bypass activity (FEIBA), increasingly have been used in managing refractory bleeding. While effective, these medications are associated with thromboembolic complications.