Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Oct 29.
Published in final edited form as: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(1):CD001884. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001884.pub2
Methods Patients were randomly assigned to one of two patient groups according to a system which used a series of sealed envelopes. The method of generating allocation sequences was not described
Participants 70 patients undergoing various cardiac operations requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were randomly assigned to one of two groups
  1. Desmopressin (DDAVP) group: n = 35; M/F = 21/14.

  2. Placebo group: n = 35; M/F = 21/14.


NB: One patient died in the operating room before receiving the study drug, and a second was withdrawn from the study at the request of the surgeon after randomisation but before treatment with the study drug. Neither of these patients were included in the analysis of the data
Interventions
  1. DDAVP group received 0.3 ug/kg in 50 ml solution over 15 minutes when cardiopulmonary bypass had been concluded, immediately after protamine was administered.

  2. Placebo group received an equivalent volume of placebo solution (not specified).

Outcomes Amount of allogeneic blood transfused (units)
Blood loss (ml)
Mortality (n)
Myocardial infarction (n)
Re-operation for bleeding (n)
Cardiac arrest (n)
Stroke (n)
Notes Quality assessment score (Schulz criteria): 4/7
Transfusion protocol not specified.
Risk of bias
Item Authors’ judgement Description
Adequate sequence generation? Unclear Method of randomisation was not described.
Allocation concealment? No C - Inadequate
Blinding?
All outcomes
Yes Double blind.