[Control of blood loss with topical administration of aprotinin after pulmonary tissue decortication and pleurectomy].

The authors were prospectively monitoring postoperative blood loss in 23 patients, in which decortication of the lung tissue and pleurectomy was performed and in which 500,000 KIU of aprotinin was applicated locally to the operating field before closing chest. The study was performed between the years 1998 and 2001. The amount of blood loss was compared to that of a group of 23 patients who underwent the same type of surgery between 1991 and 1998 without use of aprotinin. The postoperative blood loss was monitored 6, 12 and 24 hours after completing the surgery. Postoperative blood loss was lower in the group of patients in which aprotinin was used which was found to be statistically significant compared to the group of nonaprotinin patients.