Effects of colloid-based (hydroxyethylstarch 6% 130/0.42, gelafundin 4%) and crystalloid-based volume regimes in cardiac surgery: a retrospective analysis.

Background: The restriction of hydroxyethylstarch (HES) necessitated changes in volume management in cardiac surgery, increasing the use of gelatin (GELA) and crystalloid (CRYS) mono strategies.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the effects of changed volume replacement management to a GELA or CRYS mono therapy on mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI), blood loss, and transfusion in cardiac surgery patients with at least one coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at a university hospital. Three groups (HES n=938, GELA n=397, CRYS n=205) were derived from 1,540 patients with complete data sets.