RESUMO
Patients with heart disease are frequently maintained on a regimen of aspirin. During cardiac surgery aspirin-induced platelet dysfunction increases the risk of bleeding.The files of 82 patients who had undergone open-heart surgery were selected to study the efficacy of the low-dose [2 million KIU] aprotinin regimen in decreasing blood loss and transfusion requirements for patients receiving aspirin. Patients were divided into three groups: Group 1 includes those who received neither aspirin nor aprotinin [n = 41], Group 2, received both aspirin and aprotinin [n = 27] and Group 3, did not receive aprotinin despite aspirin intake [n = 14]. Primary out-come measures in this study were total volume of blood loss [postoperative chest tube drainage] and volume of transfusions during hospitalization. Patients treated with aprotinin [Group 2] had significantly lower total blood loss [359 ml versus 527 ml and 628 ml in Group 1 and Group 3, p < 0.05], rates of bleeding [17.2 ml/hr versus 25.7 and 30.4 ml/hr in groups 1 and 3 respectively]. A significant difference was also found when comparing the volume of blood transfusions [224.4 ml versus 262.4 and 537.5 ml] and prevalence of transfusion [33.3% versus 36.6% and 64.3%].Low-dose aprotinin significantly reduces blood loss and blood transfusions in patients receiving aspirin who undergo cardiac operations