Effect of extracorporeal circulation on platelet count and function

ABSTRACT

36 patients undergoing elective open heart surgery for repair of rheumatic disease or acyanotic congenital heart disease were the subject of this study. Platelet count and "Platelet aggregation" were found to decrease after cardiopulmonary bypass [CPB] significantly, this drop correlated negatively with pump time. Bleeding time was prolonged after CPB significantly and the prolongation correlated with the drop of platelet count and with the decrease in platelet aggregation. Bleeding time was positively correlated with pump time