Blood loss and safety with desmopressin or placebo during aorto-iliac graft surgery.

In a double blind, placebo controlled study in 50 patients undergoing aorto-iliac graft surgery, we studied the effects of desmopressin given prior to surgery on blood loss and blood transfusion requirements. Desmopressin reduced the number of patients with clinically significant bleeding. Blood loss volumes and transfusion requirements were lower in the desmopressin group, but this could not be verified statistically. Even if our study population has a high incidence of generalised arteriosclerotic disease, there were no clinical manifestations of venous thromboembolism, no increase of graft occlusions and no myocardial infarction during the operative or early postoperative period. Desmopressin may be used in patients with excessive peroperative bleeding or a prolonged preoperative bleeding time. In patients where desmopressin is considered to be haemostatically efficacious, it may be used with a maintained margin of safety.