Using reconstituted blood—packed red cells and freshfrozen plasma that are mixed in the operating room—for heart bypass surgery in infants works better than using fresh whole blood

Nutrition Health Review, Summer, 2004

USING RECONSTITUTED BLOOD--packed red cells and freshfrozen plasma that are mixed in the operating room--for heart bypass surgery in infants works better than using fresh whole blood, according to researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Children's Medical Center, Dallas.

The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine (October 14, 2004) and put to rest a decades-long debate in the medical community.

"The results demonstrate that the current national opinion regarding the benefits of fresh whole blood is incorrect," said Daniel Stromber, assistant professor of pediatrics and the study's senior author. "Fresh whole blood priming of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit is actually worse in terms of clinical outcomes. This is important for patients and for blood banks-potentially saving lots of money and preserving component inventory."