Heparin-coated circuits and aprotinin prime for coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND

The biocompatibility of an extracorporeal circuit is improved by heparin bonding onto its inner surface. To determine the effect of heparin-coated circuits for cardiopulmonary bypass with aprotinin prime on postoperative recovery and resource utilization, a prospective study was done in 102 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with full systemic heparinization.

METHODS

Patients were randomly allocated to be treated with either a heparin-coated circuit (n = 51) or an uncoated circuit (n = 51). Differences in blood loss, need for blood transfusion, morbidity, and intensive care stay were analyzed.

RESULTS

No differences in blood loss and need for blood transfusion were found between the groups. The relative risk for adverse events in the heparin-coated group was 0.29 (95% confidence interval ranging from 0.10 to 0.80). Adverse events included myocardial infarction (2 patients in the uncoated group versus 0 in the heparin-coated group), rethoracotomy for excessive bleeding (1 versus 2), rhythm disturbance (7 versus 2), respiratory insufficiency (4 versus 0), and neurologic dysfunction (2 versus 0). The lower incidence of adverse events in the heparin-coated group was associated with a shorter intensive care stay (median, 2 days; range, 2 to 5 days) compared with the uncoated group (median, 3 days; range, 2 to 19 days, p = 0.03). The cost savings of 1 day of intensive care stay counterbalanced the additional costs of heparin-coated circuits.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of heparin-coated circuits for cardiopulmonary bypass with aprotinin prime resulted in a significant reduction in mobidity in the early postoperative phase and a concomitant decrease in intensive care stay, resulting in important cost savings.