Clinical evaluation of heparin-coated circuits for routine coronary artery bypass grafting surgery:: A prospective randomized study

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinical and biological benefits of heparin-coated circuits in routine coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). A prospective, randomized study was conducted in 80 patients undergoing routine CABG. Patients were randomized to either noncoated circuits (Group 1) or heparin-coated circuits (Group 2). A complete clinical evaluation was performed preoperatively at Days 0, 1, 2, and 3 and at discharge day and combined with extensive laboratory tests for hemostasis and inflammatory response. This study did not prove any major statistically significant clinical benefit of heparin-coated circuits in low risk patients. Postoperative bleeding, significantly less in the heparin-coated group, did not decrease significantly the number of transfused patients. Biological values were not changed significantly except for factor II and monocytes, which were higher in Group 2. Heparin-coated circuits offer minimal clinical and biological benefits for routine CABG surgery. However, they may prove beneficial for complex procedures or at-risk patients.