Trasylol Reduces Bleeding in CABG Patients on Anti-Platelet Therapy

In patients who require anti-platelet therapy, aprotinin (Trasylol; Bayer’s) reduces blood loss and the need for blood transfusions during and after coronary artery bypass surgery, Bayer said on Tuesday.

The company said in a statement that two studies examined the use of Trasylol in CABG patients, who were taking Plavix and aspirin or Plavix alone less than five days before surgery.

“These studies are significant because many coronary artery disease patients taking anti-platelet drugs need CABG surgery under conditions which may not allow sufficient time for, or warrant discontinuation of, treatment,” the Bayer statement quoted Jan van der Linden, of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, as saying.

One study of 100 patients showed that the use of Trasylol during surgery reduced blood loss and the need for transfusion. Another study of 73 patients showed that Trasylol cut post-operative bleeding and reduced the need for blood transfusions in patients who had been on Plavix less than five days before the operation.

The results of the studies were released at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions in New Orleans.