(1) Objectives: The main aim of this study is to consider acute normovolemic hemodilution effect on the amount of bleeding after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in the first 48 hours after surgery.
(2 and 3) Design, Setting and conduct: The study is a single-blind, single-centre, interventional clinical trial in which, 100 patients who are candidate for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at Imam Khomeini hospital of Ardabil will be randomly allocated into two equal groups of intervention and control.
(4) Participants including major eligibility criteria: no previous known history of coagulation disorders, and, no previous treatment with drugs used in coagulation disorders. The exclusion criteria are as follows: anemia (hemoglobin less than 11), massive transfusion (more than 1 blood volume or 20 packed cell), platelet transfusion, FFP transfusion, receiving medications such as Plavix and Transamine, connection to the CPB pump more than 3 hours, and platelet count less than 100 thousand.
(5) Intervention: After induction of anesthesia in the operating room and before connecting the patient to the CPB pump, a blood unit is taken from patients in the intervention group. After completion of the surgical procedure and disconnecting of patients from the CPB pump and receiving protamine, the whole blood of patients in intervention group is retransfused. For patients in the control group, the surgery process will be performed without these measures.
(6) main outcome measures (variables): Patients in the two groups will be compared in terms of bleeding within 48 hours after surgery.