Blood is anticoagulated using a drug named heparin during open-heart surgery to allow it to safely pass through the heart-lung machine which pumps the blood throughout the body during the surgery. Each patient is given the heparin they need for their surgery. This means some patients receive more or less heparin than other patients. In this study, the investigators will be evaluating the current anticoagulation protocol for open heart surgery in use at the Royal University Hospital. The goal of this project is to compare patients who require and receive more heparin for proper anticoagulation to those patients who require and receive less heparin. Open-heart surgery will proceed according to the standard hospital protocol. All research participants will be treated according to standard post-open heart surgery protocol in the ICU. This will include measurement of blood loss by keeping track of chest tube outputs and administration of blood transfusions. This study focuses on Saskatoon Health Region patients having open heart surgery in terms of the protocol for anticoagulation and blood transfusions.
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Chest Tube Losses
Timeframe: Chest tube losses are recorded from departure from operating room to chest tube removal in the ICU (normally less than 24 hrs)