Design of the Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Dimethyl Sulfoxide Cryopreserved Platelets to Liquid Stored Platelets in Patients Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery.

Objective: Dimethylsulfoxide-cryopreserved platelets are being evaluated for treatment of acute hemorrhage in patients with thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction when liquid stored platelets are unavailable. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass with risk factors for significant bleeding represent a population for which determining efficacy and safety of cryopreserved platelets is ideal in the clinical trial setting. The primary objective is to compare blood loss in cardiopulmonary bypass patients receiving cryopreserved platelets or liquid stored platelets.

Methods: In patients undergoing cardiac surgery utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass, a standardized algorithm with transfusion triggers will be used to guide the intra- and postoperative administration of study platelets, either cryopreserved platelets or liquid stored platelets, based on the clinical presentation. The primary efficacy end point was the volume of blood loss from completion of chest closure (time 0) until the time chest tubes were removed or 24 hours after chest closure, whichever is earlier.

Results: This design article describes an ongoing multicenter, randomized, blinded trial to evaluate noninferiority or superiority of cryopreserved platelets with liquid stored platelets in controlling blood loss in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.

Conclusions: Frozen storage could substantially safely extend the shelf life of stored platelets. If efficacy and safety were demonstrated in this trial, current constraints on platelet use in low resource military and civilian settings would be relieved.