Point-of-Care Testing for Hemostasis After Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Cardiopulmonary bypass-induced coagulopathy is a serious complication that may result in massive bleeding requiring transfusion of multiple units of red blood cells and pro-coagulant products. Up to 10 percent of cardiac surgery patients suffer from massive blood loss (chest tube bleeding >2,000 ml over the first 24 hours after surgery, or the need to transfuse 10 red blood cell [RBC] units, or more, over a 24-hour period)¹  and up to 5 percent of all patients having cardiac surgery require emergent chest re-exploration to achieve hemostasis.²  Thus, timely control of coagulopathy is of prime importance in order to avoid the sequelae of excessive bleeding. A significant body of evidence has associated allogeneic blood transfusions during cardiac surgery with increased risk of perioperative complications and mortality.³  Despite this evidence base, and despite the publication of transfusion guidelines,^4,5  transfusions still occur in 50 percent of cardiac surgery...