To evaluate the effectiveness of the 5-minute test (FMT), developed to record the amount of pericardial bleeding in patients undergoing general cardiac surgery, and determine the relationship between this test and postcardiotomy bleeding.

The medical records of 573 patients who underwent adult cardiac surgery between January 2016 and December 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into 2 groups: the FMT group included patients who underwent general cardiac surgery between January 2018 and December 2019 (n = 278), and the control group included patients who underwent general cardiac surgery between January 2016 and December 2017 (n = 295). The postcardiotomy reexploration rate due to intrapericardial bleeding or cardiac tamponade within 1 week after surgery and the amount of bleeding until 2 days after surgery were compared. The FMT procedure involved counting the amount of bleeding by packing 4 to 6 surgical gauze sheets for 5 minutes. Sternal closure was performed when the amount of blood measured by the FMT was <100 g.

Compared with the control group, the FMT group had a significantly lower incidence of postcardiotomy reexploration (1.5% vs 5.7%; P = .007) and a reduced amount of bleeding after cardiac surgery (median, 1165 mL [interquartile range (IQR), 756.2-1743.8 mL] versus 1440 mL [IQR, 825.0-2130.0 mL]; P = .005). There was a significant positive correlation between the FMT gauze sheet weight and postcardiotomy bleeding (r = 0.322; P < .001).

The FMT is an objective and effective tool for estimating postoperative bleeding during cardiac surgery that can prevent postcardiotomy reexploration and reduce the amount of postcardiotomy bleeding.