[Effects of platelet-rich plasma on hemostasis and transfusion requirement in vascular surgery].

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of intraoperative autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) transfusion on haemostasis, blood loss and blood requirements during vascular surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

Randomized clinical trial.

PATIENTS

Twenty patients undergoing elective abdominal infrarenal aortic aneurysmectomy, using autologous transfusion techniques (predonation programme and/or preoperative normovolaemic haemodilution and/or intraoperative use of a cell-saver), were randomly allocated either into the PRP group (n = 10) or the Control group (n = 10).

METHOD

In patients of PRP group, 10 mL.kg-1 of PRP were obtained over 40 to 50 min, prior to induction of anaesthesia, and compensated simultaneously with an equivalent amount of hydroxyethyl starch. Each PRP unit was transfused to its donor after aortic declamping. Blood samples were obtained before induction, before incision, at wound closing and at the end of PRP unit transfusion for determination of biological variables.

RESULTS

The PRP units transfused in the patients of PRP group contained 755 +/- 117 mL of plasma with a platelet count of 62 +/- 31 G.L-1. The intra and postoperative blood losses were similar in both groups (1622 +/- 758 and 233 +/- 322 mL respectively in PRP group vs 1890 +/- 1331 and 291 +/- 303 mL respectively in Control group). In both groups, three patients required an additional transfusion of homologous blood. The results of biological tests (haematocrit, platelet and white cell counts, prothrombin time, aPTT, thrombin time, fibrinogen, D-dimers, proteins, calcium) were also similar between groups at the various times of sampling. The reinfusion of the PRP unit did not increase the platelet count.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that intraoperative infusion of autologous PRP does not decrease blood loss and homologous transfusion requirements in patients undergoing elective abdominal infrarenal aortic aneurysmectomy. This result can be related to the relatively moderate enrichment in platelets obtained with the centrifugation speed used in this study.