Bleeding and transfusion during cardiac surgery are major sources of complications. Surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass can induce coagulopathy, including platelet dysfunction. Desmopressin has been shown to reduce bleeding and transfusion requirements, although with conflicting results. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the available evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of desmopressin in cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

The Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for prospective studies comparing desmopressin with placebo in cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. A meta-analysis with bleeding at 24 hours as the primary outcome and the amount and incidence of blood product transfusions as secondary outcomes was performed. Safety outcomes included re-exploration rate, thromboembolic events, and mortality.

Thirty-four (34) studies comprising 2,523 patients were included. Bleeding at 24 hours was reduced in the desmopressin group (weighted mean difference, 96.20 mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] −148.44 to −43.96; p=0.0003 with heterogeneity [I²]=76%). The amount of blood products transfused (red blood cells) was reduced in the desmopressin group (standardised mean difference [SMD], −0.32; 95% CI −0.58 to −0.05). No significant difference was found for transfusion of platelets (SMD, −0.16; 95% CI −0.58 to 0.26) or fresh frozen plasma (SMD, −0.30; 95% CI −0.67 to −0.06). No significant differences were observed between the two groups with respect to safety outcomes.

Results of the present meta-analysis demonstrated that desmopressin reduced blood loss and the amount of red blood cell transfusions after cardiac surgery. However, this result should be interpreted with caution, given the considerable heterogeneity among the studies.