 Consented patients were randomized into one of the two groups using a 1:1 randomization sequence generated by a computer program. Randomization sequence and the study drugs were kept in a locked box and were opened only by unblinded study personnel who were not involved in the clinical care of the patient. This person prepared the study drug following the instructions of the study protocol, resulting in preparations of EACA and TA that contained equi-potent similar volumes of the drug in the syringe, in order to ensure blinding. Antifibrinolytic study drug was administered following anesthetic induction. EACA was administered as a bolus loading dose of 150 mg kg followed by a maintenance infusion of 15 mg kg hr. TA was administered as a bolus dose of 30 mg kg followed by a 16 mg kghour maintenance infusion. Maintenance infusion of both drugs was discontinued when the patient arrived in the cardiac surgical intensive care unit. In addition to routine blood sampling standard of care in the investigators hospital, patients had thromboelastogramTEG and D-dimer levels drawn at the following time points: post incision but prior to initial antifibrinolytic load, immediately following the antifibrinolytic loading dose, and post-protamine reversal of heparin. 