[Open heart surgery without homologous blood transfusion for tetralogy of Fallot--use of hydroxyethyl starch diminishes the necessity of protein transfusion].

To avoid any blood or protein transfusions, we employed 6% hydroxyethyl starch in 0.9% saline (saline HES) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for intracardiac repair in 24 consecutive patients with Tetralogy of Fallot (TF). The postoperative course has been satisfactory (central venous pressure 9.5 +/- 1.2 cmH2O, duration of intubation after surgery 4.4 +/- 1.5 hours), and all patients but one did not require transfusion therapy during their hospital stay. We conclude that intracardiac repair without transfusions is feasible in almost all patients with TF, when substituting saline HES for blood or proteins.