Der Anaesthesist
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Case Reports
[Theophylline (aminophylline) and asystole. Case report and a brief review of the literature].
We report the use of the non-specific adenosine antagonist theophylline (aminophylline) during a prolonged intraoperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) due to myocardial infarction. In the 2005 guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council the general use of theophylline during CPR is not recommended, but in the case of an atropine and epinephrine resistant asystole, especially as a result of inferior myocardial infarction, theophylline might be a useful adjunct during CPR.
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Preoperative autologous blood donation is an effective method to reduce allogeneic transfusion requirement. However, this method is only rarely utilized in cardiac surgery. Besides economic concerns one essential argument against predonation is the lack of sufficient time due to the short waiting lists. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of autologous predonation to reduce allogeneic blood transfusion in routine cardiac surgery on a center without longer preoperative waiting lists. ⋯ Autologous predonation in cardiac surgery was effective in reducing blood transfusions even in the absence of longer preoperative waiting times. It is a safe and effective method to minimize blood transfusion in cardiac surgery.