Administration of Antifibrinolytics
From September 2015 to September 2017, patients received ε-aminocaproic acid (EACA) as their antifibrinolytic agent [loading dose 100 mg/kg followed by infusion at 33 mg/kg/hr]. Our institution switched from EACA to tranexamic acid (TXA) in October 2017 due to a national shortage of EACA. TXA was subsequently used for all CCVR patients [loading dose 10 mg/kg followed by infusion at 5 mg/kg/hr]. Transfusion protocols remained consistent across the study time period. The threshold for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion was a hemoglobin < 8 g/dL with a goal hematocrit ≥ 30% by the end of the case.