Ultrafiltration of priming blood before cardiopulmonary bypass attenuates inflammatory response and maintains cardiopulmonary function in neonatal piglets.

: Blood priming is necessary for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in neonates to avoid excessive hemodilution; however, transfusion-related inflammation affects postCPB outcomes in neonatal open-heart surgery. We hypothesized that ultrafiltration of priming blood before CPB may reduce inflammatory mediators in priming blood and postCPB inflammatory responses, thereby improving cardiopulmonary function. Twelve 1-week-old piglets (3.5 +/- 0.2 kg) were divided into two groups. Group U (n = 6) employed the priming blood ultrafiltrated before CPB, but group N (n = 6) used the nonultrafiltrated blood. Cardiopulmonary bypass was performed for 2 hours and then modified ultrafiltration (MUF) was conducted. Data were acquired before CPB and after MUF. The values of K+, serotonin, and IL-8 in priming blood was significantly decreased after ultrafiltration (8.2 +/- 2.6 vs. 4.2 +/- 0.8 mEq/L, p < 0.01, 234 +/- 96 vs. 74 +/- 42 ng/ml, p < 0.01, 78.4 +/- 5.1 vs. 64.5 +/- 59.1 pg/ml, p < 0.05). Group U after MUF had lower thrombin-antithrombin complex levels (23.9 +/- 5.1 vs. 33.7 +/- 4.6 ng/ml, p < 0.01) and lower IL-8 levels in airway fluid (925 +/- 710 vs. 2495 +/- 1207 pg/ml, p < 0.05) than group N. Cardiac output and arterial PO2 after MUF in group U were also higher (1.13 +/- 0.21 vs. 0.69 +/- 0.22, p < 0.01, 340 +/- 190 vs. 149 +/- 84 mm Hg, p < 0.05). The ultrafiltration of blood priming before CPB attenuated activation of the coagulation pathway and inflammatory responses and preserved cardiopulmonary function in neonatal piglets.