Effect of acute normovolemic hemodilution on coronary artery bypass grafting: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 randomized trials

Background Efficacy of minimal acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) in avoiding homologous blood transfusion during cardiovascular surgery remains controversial. Postoperative bleeding and transfusion remain a source of morbidity and cost after open heart operations. To better understand the role of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), we compared ANH with standard intraoperative care in a systematic review including a standard pairwise meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) up to April 1, 2020. The primary outcome was to assess the incidence of ANH-related number of allogeneic red blood cell units (ARBCu) transfused. Secondary outcomes included the rate of allogeneic blood transfusion and estimated total blood loss. Results A total of 22 RCTs including 1688 patients were identified for the present meta-analysis. Of these studies, 19 were about CABG with on-pump and three with off-pump. Our pooled result indicated that patients received ANH experienced fewer ARBCu transfusions, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of −0.60 (95%CI −0.96 to −0.24; P = 0.001). The rate of allogeneic blood transfusion in ANH group was significant reduced when compared with controls, with a relative risk (RR) of 0.65 (95%CI 0.52 to 0.82; P = 0.0002). In addition, less postoperative estimated total blood loss was present, with a SMD of −0.53 (95%CI −0.88 to −0.17; P = 0.004). Conclusions The present meta-analysis indicated that ANH could reduce the number of ARBCu transfused in the CABG surgery setting. In addition, ANH could also reduce the rate of ARBCu transfusion and estimated total blood loss for CABG patients.