Feasibility Study of a Novel Method of Concentrating Fresh Frozen Plasma by Hemoconcentrating Filter Outside Cardiopulmonary Bypass
In cardiac surgeries, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is frequently administered for repletion of coagulation factors. When profound deficits of coagulation factors are corrected by administration of FFP, whole blood should be concentrated by ultrafiltration before the patient is separated from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to prevent volume overload and dilution of erythrocytes. However, use of ultrafiltration to whole blood is known to reduce platelet function, since platelets are adhered and activated on the membrane surface of the filter.1 Therefore, we invented a novel method of concentrating FFP by applying a hemoconcentrating filter directly to FFP to both minimize volume and avoid affecting platelet function.
