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During cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), techniques such as retrograde autologous priming (RAP) and/or antegrade autologous priming are used to limit hemodilution by replacing CPB circuit prime with the patient's blood, which reduces the crystalloid priming volume by approximately 400 to 800 mL. In a meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized trials including over 3,500 patients, RAP was associated with >60 percent reduction in intraoperative red blood cell transfusions [1]. Although not feasible in some patients due to safety concerns (e.g., those...
