
Protamine Test Dose: Impact on Activated Clotting Time and Circuit Integrity
This study examines the effect of a protamine test dose (PTD) on activated clotting times (ACTs) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit integrity in 120 cardiac surgery patients. The study found that PTDs led to unpredictable and often significant reductions in ACT, increasing the risk of clot formation in the CPB circuit. The authors recommend discontinuing the recovery of mediastinal shed blood into the CPB circuit before protamine administration to enhance patient safety.