Trial reportBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2002
Mechanical methods of reducing blood transfusion in cardiac surgery: randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 17 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 113 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of acute normovolemic hemodilution on blood transfusions in cardiac surgery: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials with trial sequential analysis.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Cell salvage for minimising perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion in adults undergoing elective surgery.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Washed cell salvage in surgical patients: A review and meta-analysis of prospective randomized trials under PRISMA.Medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Cell salvage for minimising perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2010Pooled it
- Impact of a phosphorylcholine-coated cardiac bypass circuit on blood loss and platelet function: a prospective, randomized study.The journal of extra-corporeal technology · 2012Trial
- Efficacy, Safety, and Cost-Effectiveness of Cell Salvage in Cardiac Reoperations.The Eurasian journal of medicine · 2026Article
- Innovative strategies in coagulation management for cardiothoracic surgery: a narrative review of pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2025Review
- Evaluation of Red Blood Cell Biochemical Markers and Coagulation Profiles Following Cell Salvage in Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- The association between intraoperative cell salvage and red blood cell transfusion in cardiac surgery - an observational study in a patient blood management centre.Anaesthesiology intensive therapy · 2021Observational
- Intra-operative autologous blood donation for cardiovascular surgeries in Japan: A retrospective cohort study.PloS one · 2021Observational
- Efficacy of intraoperative cell salvage in decreasing perioperative blood transfusion rates in first-time cardiac surgery patients: a retrospective study.Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie · 2016Article
- Oxygen carrying capacity of salvaged blood in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a prospective observational study.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2015Observational
- Effects of circuit residual volume salvage reinfusion on the postoperative clinical outcome for pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery.Pediatric cardiology · 2013Article
- Perfusionist strategies for blood conservation in pediatric cardiac surgery.World journal of cardiology · 2010Article
- Predictors of packed red cell transfusion after isolated primary coronary artery bypass grafting--the experience of a single cardiac center: a prospective observational study.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2009Article
- Reducing blood transfusion. BMJ 's cover and headline exaggerated importance of study's findings.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2002Article
- Benefit from using recycling red blood cells in cardiovascular surgery.Revista brasileira de cirurgia cardiovascular : orgao oficial da Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia CardiovascularArticle
Corrections and comments
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- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess the effectiveness of two mechanical methods of blood conservation in reducing the need for allogeneic red blood cells or coagulation products during cardiac surgery.
designRandomised controlled trial.
settingRegional cardiac centre in a teaching hospital in Southampton.
participants263 adults aged 18-80 years undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery entered the study, of whom 252 completed the trial. All patients received routine perioperative care. Patients were allocated to one of three treatment groups: intraoperative cell salvage, intraoperative cell salvage with acute perioperative normovolaemic haemodilution, or no mechanical blood conservation. There were 84 patients in each group.
main outcome measuresNumbers of patients who received allogeneic blood or coagulation products, and the mean number of units of blood transfused per patient.
resultsOf the patients in the intraoperative cell salvage group, 26 were given a transfusion of allogeneic blood, compared with 43 in the control group (odds ratio 0.43 (95% confidence interval 0.23 to 0.80)). The mean number of units of allogeneic blood transfused per patient in the intraoperative cell salvage group was 0.68 units (SD=1.55), compared with 1.07 (1.56) units in the control group. 32 of the patients in the intraoperative cell salvage group were given any blood product, compared with 47 in the control group (odds ratio 0.47 (0.25 to 0.89); P=0.019). Combining acute perioperative normovolaemic haemodilution with intraoperative cell salvage conferred no additional benefits.
conclusionsAn intraoperative cell salvage device should be used in elective coronary artery bypass grafting. Pharmacological strategies may achieve further reductions in blood transfusions. Yet further reductions in blood transfusions could be achieved if the lower safe limit of haemoglobin concentration in patients undergoing cardiac surgery were known.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.