Limited effectiveness of intraoperative autotransfusion in major back surgery

• Background and objective: The efficiency of intraoperative autotransfusion in scoliosis surgery is poorly known but needs to be evaluated, not least because of the large blood losses in these patients. This is a retrospective analysis of transfusion requirements of 43 such patients. Methods: Records from 43 patients were studied. During surgery, the shed blood was salvaged and washed in an autotransfusion device (AT1000 Auto-transfusion Unit«) and a suspension of red cells was reinfused. Results: Fifty-eight per cent of the intraoperative blood loss was salvaged. The total blood loss during the patients' hospital stay was calculated from the haemoglobin balance, 24% of this loss was salvaged by the device. Moreover, 36 of the patients needed allogeneic blood transfusion. Conclusion: The efficiency of the autotransfusion device was relatively low in relation to the total extravasation, mainly because the postoperative blood loss is substantial.

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MEDICIN

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