Cardiopulmonary interventions to decrease blood loss and blood transfusion requirements for liver resection.

In this update of a previous Cochrane review, the authors address the role of low central venous pressure, autologous blood donation, acute isovolemic hemodilution, and hypoventilation in decreasing allogeneic blood transfusion requirements during liver resection surgery. Hemodilution was found to be the only intervention that decreased allogeneic blood transfusion. Few trials met the criteria to be included in the meta-analysis. All had a high risk of bias. None of the trials were powered to identify differences in mortality or morbidity. The conclusion is that more trials are needed.

– Yves Ozier