Effects of Single Dose of Erythropoietin on Blood Transfusion Requirement in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Recently, therapeutic strategies for reducing hemoglobin decrease during and after coronary artery bypass graft surgery was evaluated in a lot of clinic trial studies. In this paper we evaluate effects of single dose of erythropoietin on blood transfusion requirement after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

In this clinic trial study, 60 patients that were candidate for elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery randomly divided into two groups, study and control group. Patients in study group received intravenous infusion of erythropoietin (700 IU/kg), during coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The number of units of pack cell that was infused during surgery and postoperative period was measured. Also hemoglobin concentration was measured and compared before surgery and 5, 15 and 30 days after surgery.

The mean number of units of pack cell transfused per patients during surgery and postoperative days was significantly decreased in the study group, as compared with control group (2.93± 1.11 vs. 3.7± 1.08, p=0.013). The mean level of hemoglobin concentration on 15 days after surgery (11.03± 1.51 vs. 10.24± 1.14, p=0.018) and also 30 days after surgery (12.6± 1.45 vs. 11.84± 1.21, p=0.03) was significantly higher in study group.

The results showed that a single dose of erythropoietin during surgery reduced a perioperative transfusion requirement in the patient undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Erythropoietin injection also raised a hemoglobin concentration on 15 and 30 days after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients in erythropoietin group