Erythropoietin in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) has proved to be a useful drug that can aid in protecting patients from possible hazards of homologous blood. Use of rHuEPO for patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery can enhance the benefit of a preoperative autologous blood donation program while simultaneously minimizing its risks. The main objective are to decrease homologous transfusion requirements by increasing the amount of collected autologous blood and to maximize safety by ameliorating a pre- or postoperative anemia. The goal of this review is to assess the possible benefits of perioperative use of rHuEPO during CABG surgery. Furthermore, we evaluate its ability to augment the quality of collected blood and to lower the risk of autologous blood donation. Side effects, dosages, manner of administration, concomitant iron therapy and suggestions for special patient groups will be discussed.