Retrograde Autologous Priming for Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Safe and Effective Means of Decreasing Hemodilution and Transfusion Requirements
The obligatory hemodilution resulting from crystalloid priming of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit represents a major risk factor for blood transfusion in cardiac operations. We therefore examined whether retrograde autologous priming of the bypass circuit would result in decreased hemodilution and red cell transfusion.