Annales de chirurgie
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Annales de chirurgie · Jan 1992
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial[Comparison of the effects of epsilon-aminocaproic acid and aprotinin on intra- and postoperative bleeding in heart surgery].
Excessive bleeding during and after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is a real problem in this kind of surgery. The use of prophylactic high doses of aprotinin (APROT) reduces blood loss in this context but this treatment is expensive. Some investigators have advocated that epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA), a cheaper antifibrinolytic drug, could reduce blood loss in cardiac surgery. ⋯ No complication, directly due to the treatment administered, was observed. EACA seems to be as effective as APROT to reduce intra and post cardiac surgery blood loss. EACA has the advantage of being cheaper (treatment is approximately 200 times cheaper), therefore allowing a wider use.