Pro-Con Debate: Fibrinogen Concentrate or Cryoprecipitate for Treatment of Acquired Hypofibrinogenemia in Cardiac Surgical Patients

Authors: Hensley NB.; Mazzeffi, MA.

Affiliations: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Publication: Anesthesia and analgesia; 2021; 133. 19–28

Abstract: Cryoprecipitate has been the gold standard for treating acquired hypofibrinogenemia in cardiac surgery for nearly 50 years. More recently, fibrinogen concentrate has been used off-label in the United States and is the standard in European countries and Canada to treat the acquired hypofibrinogenemia during cardiac surgery. Fibrinogen concentrate has multiple potential advantages including rapid reconstitution, greater dose predictability, viral inactivation during processing, and reduced transfusion-related adverse events. However, because fibrinogen concentrate lacks the other components contained in the cryoprecipitate, it may not be the “ideal” product for replacing fibrinogen in all cardiac surgical patients, particularly those with longer cardiopulmonary bypass duration. In this Pro-Con commentary article, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using fibrinogen concentrate and cryoprecipitate to treat acquired hypofibrinogenemia in cardiac surgical patients.