Study Design and Setting
This single-center retrospective observational cohort study was approved
by the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Institutional Review Board
(IRB#191843) with a waiver of informed consent and HIPAA authorization.
We identified pediatric patients (birth to 12 years) who had undergone
CCVR at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (MCJCHV)
between September 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019. Using the electronic
health record (EHR), we extracted information from the date of surgery
to 30 days postoperatively. We collected clinical information including
demographics, suture type, blood loss, transfusion data, hematologic
laboratory parameters, antifibrinolytic medication use, ICU and total
hospital length of stay, and adverse outcomes. We recorded the following
clinical laboratory values during the perioperative period: hematocrit,
platelet count, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin
time (PTT), and fibrinogen. Blood loss measurements included
intraoperative estimated blood loss, postoperative drain volumes,
calculated blood loss, and estimated blood volume10: