DOES RECOMBINANT-HUMAN-ERYTHROPOIETIN ACCELERATE ERYTHROPOIESIS FOR PREDONATION BEFORE CARDIAC-SURGERY

This study was performed to determine the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO) on preoperative autologous blood donation in pat ients undergoing elective coronary bypass or valvular operations. Nine teen patients received 200 u/kg of rEPO intravenously 3 times a week, and 210 mg/day of iron sulfate orally, for 2 weeks before surgery (EPO group). Seven matched patients only took the same dose of iron sulfat e (control group). Bone marrow was aspirated from the sternum during s urgery, and the Myeloids/Erythroids ratio was calculated in 13 patient s of the EPO group. The total donated blood mass was 853 +/- 231 g in the EPO group, and 657 +/- 140 g in the control group (p<0.05). The av erage increase in hemoglobin (Hb) mass from admission to the day befor e surgery was 87 +/- 33 g in the EPO group, and 24 +/- 13 g in the con trol group (p<0.001). Furthermore, the logarithm of the ratio of ''inc reased Hb mass/Hb mass at admission'' was significantly correlated to the Myeloids/Erythroids ratio (r=-0.9130, p<0.01). These results stron gly indicate that rEPO is a very useful agent for predonation of autol ogous blood for cardiac operations.