Benefits and side effects of preoperative autologous blood donation in 11 heart surgery patients
Walpoth, B.H.; Volken, U.; Aeschbacher, B.; Roth, F.; Althaus, U.; Nydegger, U.
Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift 121(38): 1365-1371
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-7672 PMID: 1925466 Document Number: 379644
Patients scheduled for cardiac surgery are prone to adverse reactions during blood donation due to hemodynamic instability. 11 selected patients donated three units of red blood cell concentrates and three units of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) preoperatively in 11-day intervals under careful hemodynamic monitoring. 24 hours preoperatively autologous plasmapheresis (500 ml) was carried out in 10 patients at bedside. No complications were seen in any patients. The patients' mean hemoglobin concentrations were 142 +/- 11, 133 +/- 6, 128 +/- 7 and 126 +/- 7 g/l (mean +/- 1 SD) before each autologous blood donation and before the plasmapheresis respectively. No significant changes were noted in major hematological and chemical screening tests. Serum iron, iron-binding capacity and ferritin levels remained within the normal range. Due to additional perioperative blood saving methods, such as reinfusion of centrifuged oxygenator-blood (559 +/- 119 ml) and shed mediastinal blood (518 +/- 353 ml), only two patients needed additional transfusion of 1 homologous red cell unit each. On average 2.18 autologous red cell concentrates were retransfused per patient.