A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: 'Is storage of saphenous vein grafts in autologous whole blood prior to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) more effective than storage in saline in preserving graft function?' Altogether more than 580 papers were found using the reported search, of which, 10 represented the ...

BACKGROUND The stability of ethanol was investigated in blood specimens in glass or plastic evacuated tubes after storage in a refrigerator at 4 °C for up to 12 months. METHODS Sterile blood, from a local hospital, was divided into 50 mL portions and spiked with aqueous ethanol (10% w/v) to give target concentrations of 0.20, 1.00, 2.00 and 3.00 g/L. Ethanol was determined in blood by headspa...