Cardiopulmonary Bypass Priming Using Autologous Cord Blood in Neonatal Congenital Cardiac Surgery

Background and Objectives: A blood transfusion is almost inevitable in neonatal cardiac surgery. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of using autologous cord blood for a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) priming as an alternative to an allo-transfusion in neonatal cardiac surgery. Subjects and Methods: From January 2012 to December 2014, cord blood had been collected during delivery after informed consent and was stored immediately into a blood bank. Eight neonatal patients had their own cord blood used for CPB priming during cardiac surgery. Results: All patients underwent surgery for their complex congenital heart disease. The median age and body weight at surgery was 11 days (from 0 to 21 days) and 3.2 kg (from 2.2 to 3.7 kg). The median amount and hematocrit of collected cord blood was 72.5 mL (from 43 to 105 mL) and 48.7% (from 32.0 to 51.2%). The median preoperative hematocrit of neonates was 36.5% (from 31.0 to 45.0%); the median volume of CPB priming was 130 mL (From 120 to 140 mL). Seven out of eight patients did not need an allo-transfusion in CPB priming and only one neonate used 20 mL of packed red blood cells in CPB priming to obtain the target hematocrit. Conclusion: Autologous cord blood can be used for CPB priming as alternative to packed red blood cells in neonatal congenital cardiac surgery in order to reduce allo-transfusion.