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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2007;134:284-289
© 2007 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery
Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease |
a Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
b Department of Public Health, University of Tokyo, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Received for publication November 27, 2006; revisions received February 13, 2007; accepted for publication February 27, 2007. * Address for reprints: Kagami Miyaji, MD, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan, Kitasato 1-15-1, Sagamihara 228-8555, Japan. (Email: kagami111{at}aol.com).
| Abstract |
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Methods: Seventy consecutive patients weighing 4 to 7 kg underwent heart surgery with a bloodless prime from October 2003 to September 2006. The type of procedures (Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery category) included the following: category 1: atrial septal defect (n = 3); category 2: ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, bidirectional Glenn shunt, and others (n = 55); category 3: atrioventricular septal defect, double-outlet right ventricle, and others (n = 8); category 4: Rastelli procedure for transposition of the great arteries (n = 3); and category 6, Damus–Kaye–Stansel procedure (n = 1). Transfusion criteria were hematocrit less than 20%, mixed venous oxygen saturation less than 70%, regional cerebral oxygenation less than 50%, and plasma lactate level greater than 4.0 mmol/L during bypass.
Results: The mean age and body weight were 7.3 ± 5.4 months and 5.4 ± 0.8 kg, respectively. Forty-five patients (64%) underwent transfusion-free procedures. Preoperative hematocrit, age, body weight, complexity of procedure and cardiopulmonary bypass time were compared between patients with and without transfusion. Bypass time and Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery risk category in patients with transfusion were significantly greater than those in patients without (P < .0001, and P < .05, respectively). Body weight in patients without transfusion was significantly greater than that in patients with (P < .01). In multiple regression analysis, the determinants of blood transfusion were the bypass time and body weight (odds ratio 1.026, 95% confidence interval 1.011–.040, P < .0001, and odds ratio 0.366, 95% confidence interval 0.171–0.785, P < .01).
Conclusions: It is possible to do complex transfusion-free procedures safely for patients weighing more than 4 kg by using the low–priming volume circuit. The limiting factors of bloodless heart surgery are not preoperative hematocrit and complexity of procedure but the cardiopulmonary bypass time and the patients body weight.
| Introduction |
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| Patients and Methods |
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We monitored mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO 2) and regional cerebral oxygenation (rSO 2) using near-infrared spectroscopy (INVOS 5100; Somanetics, Inc, Troy, Mich) during CPB and maintained the values above 70% and 50%, respectively. If we had difficulty maintaining the SvO 2 above 70% and rSO 2 above 50%, despite increasing the pump flow or oxygen concentration during CPB, we decided to transfuse the allogeneic blood. The plasma lactate level (micromoles per liter) was also monitored during bypass, and when the lactate increased above 4.0 mmol/L, we decided to transfuse the allogeneic blood. If postoperative hemodynamic instability persisted despite sufficient inotropic support, we decided to transfuse red blood cells even when the hematocrit level was above 25%. We did not transfuse platelets or fresh frozen plasma before red blood cell transfusion in the present study. Erythropoietin was not used preoperatively or postoperatively.
The Miniaturized CPB System
To achieve a low–priming volume CPB system, we needed a low-prime oxygenator and reservoir (priming volume, 40 mL; Baby RX; Terumo Inc, Tokyo, Japan), arterial filters (15 mL; Filtia; JMS Inc, Hiroshima, Japan), and a smaller and shortened extracorporeal circuit. The oxygenator, reservoir, and circuits were coated with biocompatible poly 2-methoxyethylacrylate. To shorten the circuit, we placed the CPB roller pump close enough to the operative field to minimize tubing length. Our CPB system consisted of a distant roller-pump head, a remote-controlled unit, and a sterilized sheet. The distant roller pump and remote-controlled unit (TONOKURA Compo III; Tonokura Medical Inc, Tokyo, Japan) allows maximal proximity to the operative field (Figure 1). The sterilized sheet (50 x 100 mm, SteriSheet; Tonokura Medical Inc, Tokyo, Japan), made of polyvinyl chloride, acts as a protective barrier between the first assistant and the CPB unit (Figure 2). The arterial, venous, and suction tubes are attached to the sheet and then covered by an unwoven, polypropylene sheet. The tubes were 3/16 inch in diameter at the pump heads, and the rest of the tubes were 5/32 inch in diameter. With this system, the total length of the circuit was reduced to about 280 cm, and its priming volume was reduced to 65 mL. The minimum priming volume of this system is currently 140 mL with 15 mL of the reservoir level. Albumin or any other colloid was not used in the CPB prime.
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Study Protocol
Data collected from all the patients included age, sex, body weight, types of procedure, resternotomy, CPB time, the lowest SvO
2, rSO
2, and highest plasma lactate level during CPB, preoperative hematocrit levels, the lowest hematocrit levels during CPB, the hematocrit level, the dose of the inotropic agent (dopamine) that was used at the separation from CPB, and usage and volume of blood product transfused. Data collection was performed according to the guidelines of the institutional review board. Seventy patients were divided into two groups: the transfusion group (group 1) and the nontransfusion group (group 2). Age, sex, body weight, the RACHS risk category, resternotomy, CPB time, and preoperative hematocrit levels were analyzed as risk factors for blood transfusion in both groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors that best predicted the blood transfusion using a low–priming volume CPB system.
Statistical Analysis
Differences in patient characteristics between the transfusion group and the nontransfusion group were examined by Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon tests and rank sum tests for continuous variables and by the Fisher exact tests for dichotomous variables. Then the bivariate relationships among these variables were examined by calculating the Spearman rank correlation coefficients for continuous variables. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate which of the factors best predicted the need for a blood transfusion. All of the factors were entered and removed at a significance level of P < .05 by either forward multiple logistic or backward stepwise regression analysis. Sex, resternotomy, and RACHS risk category were modeled with binary dummy variables, whereas body weight, age, preoperative hematocrit, and perfusion time were examined as continuous variables.
| Results |
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The mean follow-up period was 621 days (range 86–1283 days), and no postoperative neurologic deficits, including seizure activity, delirium or delusion, or significant motor dysfunction, were found by the cardiologists or the parents. All patients are being followed up by pediatric cardiologists at our outpatient clinic. No mortalities or neurologic sequelae have been reported. As a part of follow-up, the Japanese infant developmental scale (Enjoji Scale of Infant Analytical Development)5
was used for patients without mental retardation diagnosed before surgery (4 patients) or chromosomal abnormality (14 patients). Pediatric cardiologists at our outpatient clinic performed the tests when the patients were from 1 to 3 years old. There were no neurodevelopmental deficits in these patients.
The lowest hematocrit level was 22.2% ± 3.5% (range 15.7%-30.4%), and the hematocrit level at separation from CPB was 24.0% ± 4.6% (range 19.8%-35.4%). The lowest SvO 2 and rSO 2 were 71.9% ± 5.3% (range 56%-84%) and 53.4% ± 8.6% (range 27%-70%), respectively. The highest plasma lactate level during CPB was 2.3 ± 1.2 mmol/L (range 0.9-9.2 mmol/L). The dose of dopamine required for weaning from CPB was 4.2 ± 1.9 µg · mL–1 · kg–1 (range 0-10 µg · mL–1 · kg–1). All the patients were separated from CPB easily without any other inotropic agents, such as epinephrine or norepinephrine. In patients with univentricular repair, the hematocrit level at separation from CPB was 27.7% ± 2.3% (range 23.7%-30.7%), and the dose of dopamine required for weaning from CPB was 4.7 ± 2.7 µg · mL–1 · kg–1 (range 0-10 µg · mL–1 · kg–1). There were no significant differences in the dose of inotropic agents between patients with biventricular repair and univentricular repair (4.2 ± 1.7 vs 4.7 ± 2.7 µg · mL–1 · kg–1; P = .40). There were no correlations between the hematocrit level and the dose of dopamine at separation from CPB (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.20; P = .10).
Twenty-five of 70 (35.7%) patients received a transfusion during their operation or stay in the intensive care unit. Of the 25 patients who received a transfusion, 21 patients required blood to maintain hematocrit level, SvO 2, rSO 2 or plasma lactate level during CPB and 4 patients required blood because of hemodynamic instability after the termination of CPB. The fresh frozen plasma was transfused in 2 patients, and platelets were transfused in 5 patients after red blood cell transfusion. The clinical characteristics and surgical data in the patients with transfusion (group 1) and without transfusion (group 2) are shown in Table 2. Significant differences were observed in body weight, RACHS risk category, CPB time, hematocrit level and dose of inotropic agents at separation from CPB, and highest plasma lactate level (P = 0.006, P = 0.027, P = 0.0001, P = 0.0001, P = 0.004, and P = 0.006, respectively).
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| Discussion |
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One of the most potentially limiting factors to bloodless heart surgery is the patients preoperative hematocrit level. Reduction of the priming volume can reduce this limiting factor. The present study revealed that the CPB time and the patients body weight best predicted the need for a blood transfusion, instead of the patients age, procedure complexity, resternotomy, and preoperative hematocrit value in the miniaturized CPB circuit. The miniaturized CPB circuit also reduces the surface contact of the circulating blood and, thus, is expected to reduce the overall inflammatory responses.11-13
Many investigators6,9,10
reported that low-hematocrit bypass was effective in avoiding the need for allogeneic transfusion. Kurth and associates14
also reported that the lowest safe hematocrit level was approximately 15%. Croughwell and colleagues15
reported that there was a marked increase in cognitive impairment when jugular venous oxygen saturation was less than 50%. Therefore, to prevent neurologic sequelae, our transfusion criteria during bypass were hematocrit less than 20%, SvO
2 less than 70%, rSO
2 less than 50%, and plasma lactate level greater than 4.0 mmol/L. On the other hand, recent reports have addressed concern for adverse effects of hemodilution during CPB on neurologic outcome. Jonas and coworkers16
reported, in a study including newborns, those who required profound hypothermia and/or circulatory arrest, that the use of a lower hematocrit level during CPB (22%) resulted in lower psychomotor development than did the use of a higher hematocrit. Ando and coworkers9
reported that no neurologic sequelae were seen and psychomotor development appeared normal despite the low hematocrit level (approximately 15%) observed during CPB. In their study, the infant psychomotor scale assessment questionnaire was used to assess overall mental and motor developments of the individual compared with that of the normal population. This assessment is considered reliable and valid in the age range of between 1 and 3 years. However, the patient group investigated included only acyanotic patients with a simple heart lesion—ventricular septal defect.
Several investigators reported the importance and usefulness of cerebral monitoring during cardiac surgery,17-19
especially during low-hematocrit bypass.20
In the present study, SvO
2, hematocrit values, and rSO
2 were continuously monitored during CPB. In all patients, we monitored rSO
2 using near-infrared spectroscopy, in which two probes were placed on the forehead bilaterally. With this system, changes in intracranial oxygenation were recorded every second during the operation. The rSO2 was used as an indicator of trends in cerebral oxygenation.21
The most important parameter during CPB is organ oxygen delivery, not hematocrit level, SvO
2, and rSO
2. Therefore, we monitored plasma lactate level every 30 minutes during and after bypass for all patients. The highest lactate level in patients with transfusion was significantly greater than that in patients without (P < .05), although there were no significant differences in hematocrit level, SvO
2, and rSO
2, between two groups. These results supported that the plasma lactate level is one of the most sensitive indexes of vital organ oxygen delivery.22,23
More inotropic agent was needed for separation from CPB in patients with a transfusion than in those without one (P < .01), even though the hematocrit level at separation from CPB in the transfused group was significantly greater than that in the bloodless heart surgery group, because the transfused group underwent more complicated procedures and required a longer CPB time. There was no tendency that more inotropes were required in patients with lower hematocrit levels in our study.
In summary, of 70 patients weighing between 4 and 7 kg, 45 (64%) patients underwent transfusion-free procedures. With the low–priming volume circuit, it is possible to do complex transfusion-free procedures safely for patients weighing more than 4 kg and less than 7 kg. The limiting factors of bloodless heart surgery are not preoperative hematocrit or complexity of procedure, but CPB time and body weight, despite using a miniaturized bypass system. Further investigation and follow-up studies are warranted to determine a safe, low-hematocrit strategy in transfusion-free procedures for uneventful neurologic development.
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