Bloodless Arterial Switch Operation in a 2.7-kg Jehovah's Witness Patient.

Bloodless pediatric cardiac surgery requiring the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) remains a challenge for the entire operating room (OR) team. The amount of circulating blood volume to pump prime volume mismatch of small patients results in hemodilution that frequently results in transfusion of allogeneic blood products. Patients of families of the Jehovah's Witness (JW) faith reject the use of these products because of religious beliefs. Our institution is a referral center for children of JW families because we have developed techniques to minimize blood loss with the hope of performing bloodless pediatric cardiac surgery whenever possible. These techniques include preoperative treatment with erythropoietin, intraoperative acute normovolemic hemodilution, CPB circuit miniaturization, ultrafiltration during and after CPB, limiting blood gas analyses or other unnecessary blood draws, and using hemostatic agents during and after CPB. We present the case of a 4-day-old patient of the JW faith weighing 2.7 kg with transposition of the great arteries and an intact ventricular septum who underwent an arterial switch operation. The patient received no allogeneic blood product administration throughout the entire hospitalization. The patient's first hematocrit in the OR was 43%, lowest hematocrit on bypass was 15%, and first hematocrit in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit post-procedure was 21%. The patient was discharged on post-op day nine with a hematocrit of 36%.

The Impact of Three Different Wash Solutions on Autotransfusion Products.

Many blood conservation techniques and strategies have been implemented to aid in decreasing the use of allogenic blood utilization during pediatric cardiothoracic surgery. Use of techniques, such as acute normovolemic hemodilution, retrograde autologous prime, venous autologous prime, and autotransfuion, may lead to a decrease in the need for allogenic blood products. Autotransfusion has become a standard of care for all cardiothoracic surgical procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Although widely used, there is still debate over which wash solution will produce the most physiologically normal autotransfusion product. Pediatric patients can be at a higher risk for electrolyte imbalance intraoperatively and postoperatively. In an attempt to minimize this, we sought out to evaluate three different wash solutions and how they would affect the final autotransfusion product. This comparison consisted of three wash solutions; .9% sodium chloride, Normosol-R™, and Plasma-Lyte A. Based on the evaluation of all wash solutions, Plasma-Lyte A produced the most physiological normal final autotransfusion product in regards to electrolytes.

Albumin priming improves the efficiency of the Minntech HPH Jr. hemoconcentrator.

The desired use of the HPH Jr. is optimal due to the low priming volume; however, the lower rate of volume removal necessitates utilization of a larger hemofilter. Larger hemofilters carry a higher prime volume, which is impactful in the pediatric setting. Pediatric cardiac surgery patients under 18 kilograms requiring cardiopulmonary bypass were randomly assigned to one of two study groups. Group 1 (coated) contained an HPH Jr. hemofilter that was primed with the addition of 25% albumin and heparin. Group 2 (non-coated) contained an HPH Jr. hemofilter that was primed with only Normosol-R®. After cardioplegia delivery, zero balance ultrafiltration (ZBUF) was initiated and maintained for thirty consecutive minutes. The flow through the hemofilter was standardized at 70 ml/min and the vacuum applied to the effluent line was set at -150 mmHg. Effluent fluid removal was measured at the termination of thirty minutes and compared between the groups. Group comparisons between the coated vs non-coated hemofilter groups were assessed using two-sample t-tests or the Mann-Whitney U test, when appropriate. Forty-two patients were included in the analysis. There were 22 patients who had the non-coated hemofilter and 20 patients with a coated hemofilter. The differences between the two groups are illustrated in Table 1. There was a statistically significant higher ultrafiltration volume with the coated hemofilter group (p=0.008) (Figure 1). These results illustrate the improved efficiency of the HPH Jr. with the addition of 25% albumin and heparin during the priming process.

The Effect of Autologus Blood Priming on Cerebral Oximetry in Congenital Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Hemodilution is one of the sequelae of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Autologous blood priming (retrograde autologous priming [RAP]/venous antegrade priming [VAP]) and acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) may be effective techniques to minimize hemodilution. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the impact of RAP/VAP combined with ANH on changes in cerebral saturations. A retrospective analysis of 52 patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery requiring CPB between July 2014 and March 2015 was performed. Bivariate analysis correlated RAP/VAP and ANH volumes. SrO2 change scores were regressed on all covariates using multivariable least-squares models. The average percent of circulating blood volume (CBV) removed during RAP/VAP was 21 ± 10% in the cyanotic group and 15 ± 5% in the acyanotic group (p =.006). There was a decrease in SrO2 from 70 ± 11% at baseline to 55 ± 13% at CPB initiation, although this decrease did not differ by cyanosis (p = .668) or use of ANH (p = .566). Bivariate correlation and multivariable regression analysis of the SrO2 change score further demonstrated no statistically significant correlation between percent of CBV removed during RAP/VAP or ANH and the magnitude of the decline in SrO2. RAP and VAP help minimize hemodilution at the onset of CPB. This study further supports the use of these techniques in a pediatric population by demonstrating declines in SrO2 during RAP/VAP were consistent among cyanotic and acyanotic, including those who underwent ANH.

Bloodless Repair for a 3.6 Kilogram Transposition of the Great Arteries with Jehovah's Witness Faith.

Achieving pediatric cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) without allogeneic blood transfusion is challenging. There are many clinical and economic factors that point to the importance of avoiding blood transfusions. In some instances, honoring patients or parents beliefs may be the reason for avoiding blood transfusions. For example, patients or parents of the Jehovah's Witness faith refuse blood transfusion based on their religious beliefs. Over the last decade, our institution has seen a steady increase in our pediatric Jehovah's Witness patient population. Caring for these patients have allowed us to develop specific protocols that enable us to safely provide bloodless CPB in all of our patient populations. The success of such an approach to minimize the need for blood transfusions should not start in the operating room; it must include the preoperative period and the postoperative care by the critical care team in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). A multidisciplinary team approach has to be in place with clear communication between the cardiologist, anesthesiologist, cardiac surgeon, perfusionist, and the cardiac intensivist. We present a case of a 7 day old male (3.6 kg) with a preoperative diagnosis of Transposition of the Great Arteries and intact ventricular septum who underwent an arterial switch procedure without the transfusion of any blood products throughout his entire hospital stay.

Revisiting acute normovolemic hemodilution and blood transfusion during pediatric cardiac surgery: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The majority of allogeneic transfusions occur in the perioperative setting, especially during cardiac surgery. In addition to the economic implications, there is emerging evidence that blood transfusion may increase both morbidity and mortality. Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) may limit the need for blood products. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to determine if the method of blood collection (syringe or bag) during the ANH process impacted the platelet count and function. The secondary objectives included the need for perioperative blood transfusions during the procedure and in the intensive care unit. In addition, we assessed these outcomes' associations with ANH parameters including the method of collection, time of storage, and volume removed. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively from 50 patients undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass over a 6-month period. Platelet count and function were measured for the ANH blood immediately after collection and again prior to transfusing to the patient at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass. Other data collected included ANH volume, length of storage, and the quantity of all blood products given throughout the perioperative period. RESULTS: No change in platelet count or function was noted regardless of the length of time or collection method for the ANH blood. Twenty-three patients received blood or blood products in the operating room or the intensive care unit, while 27 patients received no blood transfusion during their entire hospitalization. Higher ANH volume (ml·kg-1 ) and longer storage time were associated with a greater need for intraoperative transfusions. CONCLUSION: Acute normovolemic hemodilution protects the platelets from the untoward effects of cardiopulmonary bypass and offers an important autologous blood product that improves hemostasis at the conclusion of surgery. Platelet count and function are preserved regardless of the method of collection or the length of storage. The volume of ANH removed appears to be an important determinant of blood product use and further understanding of the impact of this variable is a future direction of upcoming prospective research.

Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Transport by EC-145 With a Custom-Built Sled.

Indications for the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in pediatrics has expanded beyond the initial historic treatment of neonates with respiratory failure. Patients with severe refractory cardiopulmonary failure may benefit from ECMO support until the primary insult has subsided or been treated. More recently, ECMO has been used by some centers as a bridge to transplant for irreversible organ failure. Nationwide Children's Hospital is a referral center that supports the use of ECMO as a bridge to transplant and is able to provide transport services for ECMO patients referred for transplant evaluation. In this report, we describe our design of a unique, custom-built sled designed specifically for the EC-145 helicopter to transport pediatric ECMO patients to our institution. This report is the first, to our knowledge, to describe the safe and successful transport of a pediatric ECMO patient in an EC-145 helicopter.

Bloodless pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass for a 3.2-kg patient whose parents are of Jehovah's Witness faith.

Patients and parents of Jehovah's Witness (JW) faith present multiple challenges to a medical team, especially in the neonatal and pediatric population. The medical team must balance honoring the parents' request of not receiving blood products and fulfilling our commitment as advocates for the child's wellbeing. A multidisciplinary approach to cardiac surgery must be embraced for bloodless cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to be successful. At our institution, we have developed strategies and techniques for blood conservation that are used preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively for every CPB case with the goal of a bloodless procedure. These protocols include: preoperative erythropoietin, preoperative iron administration, selection of a CPB circuit specific to the patient's height and weight, acute normovolemic hemodilution, retrograde autologous prime and venous autologous prime, tranexamic acid administration, zero-balance ultrafiltration, flushing of the pump suckers post-CPB, modified ultrafiltration, and cell salvage. We present an 8-day-old, 3.2-kg patient of JW faith with aortic valve stenosis and regurgitation and a patent foramen ovale who underwent a bloodless left ventricle-to-aorta tunnel repair and aortic valve repair on CPB.

Modified surface coatings and their effect on drug adsorption within the extracorporeal life support circuit.

A recently completed study quantified the percent of fentanyl or morphine sulfate lost to uncoated polyvinylchloride (PVC) tubing or to one of two hollow fiber oxygenators within the extracorporeal life support (ECLS) circuit. The results demonstrated the majority of drug loss was due to adsorption by the PVC tubing. The purpose of this study was to determine if a tubing coating process affects fentanyl or morphine Sulfate adsorption. The goal was to quantify fentanyl or morphine sulfate lost due to adhesion within surface modified tubing. The following surface modifications were studied: 1) Maquet Safeline (synthetic immobilized albumin); 2) Maquet Softline (a heparin free biopassive polymer); 3) Maquet Bioline (recombinant human albumin + heparin) (Maquet Cardiopulmonary AG, Hirrlingen, Germany); 4) Terumo X Coating (poly2methoxylacrylate)) (Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI); 5) Medtronic Carmeda (covalently bonded heparin); and 6) Medtronic Trillium (covalently bonded heparin) (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN). A total of 36 individual circuits were built from the above six available modified surface coatings, for a total of six individual circuits of each coating type. Blood samples were drawn at 5 minutes, 120 minutes, and 360 minutes followed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography to determine available circulating levels of either fentanyl or morphine sulfate. Fentanyl concentrations decreased to an average final available concentration of 35% (+/- 5%) within the 18 circuits. Morphine sulfate however, decreased to a final available concentration of 57% (+ 1%) in all Maquet tubing and the Medtronic Trillium tubing, while it decreased to a final concentration of 35% (+ 1%) in the Medtronic Carmeda coated tubing and in the Terumo X Coating tubing. Biocompatible ECLS circuit surface coatings affected drug-adsorption and availability. Further evaluation is necessary to understand the adsorptive loss of other drugs administered to our patients while on modified surface coated ECLS circuits.