Abstract
Objective: To study the effects of 6 h inhalation of aerosolized prostacyclin (PGI2) on platelet function.¶Design: In a prospective, double-blind, randomized study, 28 patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), received either 0.9 % sodium chloride (n = 8), PGI2 5 μg × ml–1 (n = 10) or PGI2 10 μg × ml–1 (n = 10) as an aerosol for 6 h postoperatively.¶Setting: Cardiothoracic intensive care unit at a university hospital.¶Interventions: All patients were studied immediately after surgery during mechanical ventilation and sedation. The PGI2 solutions or saline were administered with a jet nebulizer.¶Measurements and results: Bleeding time and chest tube drainage were measured. Blood samples for platelet aggregation, thrombelastography (TEG) and analysis of coagulation parameters and the stable prostacyclin metabolite 6-keto-PGF1α were obtained immediately before inhalation and after 2, 4 and 6 h of inhalation. After 6 h of PGI2 inhalation, regardless of administered dose, there was a lower rate of platelet aggregation and a lower maximal increase in light transmission in response to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) than in the control group. The TEG variable reaction time (R) was prolonged after 4 and 6 h of inhalation in the PGI2 group receiving 10 μg × ml–1. There were no differences between groups with respect to bleeding time and chest tube drainage or any of the other variables examined.¶Conclusion: Inhalation of PGI2 for 6 h in patients after cardiac surgery is associated with impaired platelet aggregation detected by in vitro techniques, with no in vivo signs of platelet dysfunction.
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Received: 11 May 1999/Final revision received: 1 December 1999/Accepted: 10 December 1999
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Haraldson, Å., Kieler-Jensen, N., Wadenvik, H. et al. Inhaled prostacyclin and platelet function after cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass. Intensive Care Med 26, 188–194 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s001340050044
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s001340050044