The Journal of surgical research
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Absence of complement-mediated events after protamine reversal of heparin anticoagulation.
Protamine reversal of heparin anticoagulation is associated with adverse hemodynamic effects that may be attenuated with protamine pretreatment (PP). This study assesses the role of complement activation during these phenomena in adult cardiac surgery patients. Sixteen individuals undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass were given intravenous normal saline or protamine (2 mg/kg) as a randomized pretreatment prior to undergoing heparin anticoagulation (400 IU/kg), coronary artery revascularization, and subsequent reversal of the anticoagulated state with protamine (4 mg/kg). ⋯ WBC decreases after heparin reversal were less after PP (-25% vs -7%, P = 0.06). These data support the conclusion that, contrary to earlier reports, adverse hemodynamic and hematologic responses accompanying protamine reversal of heparin anticoagulation do not appear to be correlated with activation of complement. In fact, those patients having the greatest C3a generation exhibited the least hemodynamic changes.