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Many procedures in cardiac surgery require extracorporeal circulation (EC). During EC, blood is pumped from a venous line to an oxygenator, cooled and infused back via an arterial line. This procedure is known to compromise the coagulation system, especially under prolonged hypothermia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of EC and hypothermia on the coagulation system in a porcine model. The efficacy of a substitution therapy with a prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) regarding normalization of coagulation and decrease in hemorrhage was evaluated.

Severe traumatic or intraoperative blood loss necessitates massive transfusion. This blood loss and the dilution of coagulation factors result in insufficient haemostasis. Treatments to enhance the haemostatic capacity need to be evaluated. An acquired bleeding model due to a dilutional coagulopathy was developed in the rabbit to estimate the contribution of PCC (Beriplex P/N; CSL Behring) on haemorrhage.