Background: Cardiovascular surgeries often require deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), which can disrupt blood clotting and lead to excessive bleeding. Traditional treatments involve transfusing blood and blood products, which can have adverse effects and place significant strain on the global blood supply. Research suggests that autologous platelet-rich plasmapheresis (aPRP) may reduce the need for transfusions by preserving blood components. However, the impact of aPRP on postoperative blood loss and clinical outcomes in cardiovascular surgery remains controversial. This study aimed to examine the effects of aPRP on postoperative blood loss and recovery in patients undergoing heart valve surgery.

Methods: A total of 183 patients were divided into either aPRP or control groups. The aPRP group received aPRP before CPB, whereas the control group did not. The primary endpoint was postoperative bleeding between the groups. The secondary endpoints were postoperative bleeding risk factors and clinical outcome assessment. Logistic regression analysis with covariate adjustment was used to calculate these risk factors.

Results: A total of 76 patients (41.5%) in the aPRP group and 107 patients (58.5%) in the control group were included in the analysis. No significant difference was found in the occurrence of postoperative bleeding [odds ratio (OR) =0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28–1.00, P=0.05], and the aPRP group had fewer complications than the controls (OR =0.28, 95% CI: 0.10–0.68, P=0.009). However, after adjusting for the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, diabetes, arrhythmology, mean activated clotting time (ACT_mean), CPB, bleeding, thoracotomy, and body mass index (BMI), there was a significant difference in postoperative bleeding (adjusted OR =0.47, 95% CI: 0.22–0.98, P=0.04) and complications (adjusted OR =0.23, 95% CI: 0.07–0.64, P=0.008) between the two groups.

Conclusions: Preoperative aPRP can improve postoperative outcomes and reduce complications in patients undergoing heart valve surgery.