Hemostatic therapies and ambiguous abnormal bleeding in cardiac operating rooms: A real-world, case-based evaluation of clinical practices

Objective: Hemostatic therapy is commonly used in cardiac surgery. Despite tools to reduce inappropriate use, variability remains, mainly due to a lack of standards, especially intraoperatively. This study examined practices in cardiac operating rooms using a standardized clinical case. Methods: French cardiac anesthesiologists and surgeons responded to a nationwide questionnaire, including a multiple-choice test based on a clinical case of ambiguous bleeding despite normal tests. The use of hemostatic therapies during surgery-reversal, chest closure, and transfer-was assessed with a fictitious surgeon or anesthesiologist involved in the assessment. Interrater reliability was measured using Gwet's AC1, and ratings before and after the intervention were compared with a paired Fisher exact test. Nonclinical factors and perceptions of bleeding were evaluated using a Likert scale. Results: = .0446] among anesthesiologists). Surgeons reported lower satisfaction and a greater tendency to judge transfusions as insufficient or delayed, possibly due to the greater influence of transfusion policy. There was a trend toward divergence in clotting characteristics ratings with intraoperative bleeding. Conclusions: Hemostatic therapy may require standardization to better manage intraoperative bleeding. Teamwork, especially with surgeons, is vital for shared awareness in these complex situations.