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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2007
Bleeding in cardiac surgery is still one of the major concerns for cardiac surgeons and anaesthesiologists. The present review addresses the main pathophysiological mechanisms underlying bleeding after cardiac operations, and analyzes possible therapeutic strategies.
Overview of different bleeding mechanisms and related diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, with specific respect to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.
Biological bleeding after cardiac operations depends on the interaction of platelet activity, the procoagulant system, and the fibrinolytic system. A diagnostic and therapeutic approach based on a four-phase model of disseminated intravascular coagulation and haemostasis imbalance is presented. At each step, adequate diagnostic tools (thromboelastography and antithrombin activity) are required to make a diagnosis and guide the appropriate treatment.
Bleeding is not a fatality. Quite the contrary, it must be treated through a multi-system approach, and as early as possible, preferably at a biological phase before clinical bleeding. In addition, early monitoring and treatment adapted to each patient makes it possible to better follow a patient’s evolution and helps reduce the occurrence of later thromboembolic events.