Platelet preservation during cardiopulmonary bypass with iloprost and Duraflo-II heparin-coated surfaces.

To test the hypothesis that temporary platelet inhibition during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with surface heparinized systems may result in platelet preservation, nine Yorkshire pigs were placed on CPB for 3 hours. Platelet labeling was done in all pigs with Indium-111 tropolone. CPB was instituted with a roller pump, a hollow fiber membrane oxygenator (Bentley CM-50 [Baxter-Bentley Laboratories, Irvine, CA]), and an arterial filter. The extracorporeal perfusion systems were surface-coated with the Duraflo-II heparin complex. Group A pigs (n = 5) were systemically heparinized (activated coagulation time longer than 400 sec). Group B pigs (n = 4) were placed on CPB without systematic heparinization, but have received the stable prostacyclin-analog Iloprost (ZK36374) at 1 ng/kg/min i.v. from 30 min before and during CPB. Platelet counts declined in group A pigs at 5 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, and 3 hr of CPB to 79.8% (mean), 66.5%, 71.3%, and 69.0% of pre-CPB values, respectively (p less than 0.05). In group B pigs, mean platelet count during CPB was higher than 90% of control value. Percentage of injected radioactivity detected in the oxygenator was 2.82% in group A pigs versus 0.73% in group B pigs (p = 0.0541). Surface heparinization with the Duraflo II heparin coating complex in combination with Iloprost-induced temporary platelet inhibition resulted in platelet count preservation during CPB in the pig model.