Application of autologous blood transfusion in elective cardiosurgery

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of auto-transfusion in elective heart surgery. Methods Forty adult patients with elective heart surgery were divided into two groups,Group A with postanesthetic autologous blood storage and Group B as control group.In Group A,600 mL autologous blood were collected from the jugular vein by autologous blood machine postanestheticly,and vasoactive drugs or supplemented colliod fluid were applied when necessary.Hemoglobin(Hb),hematocrit(Hct) and prothrombin time(PT) were recorded preoperatively,after bloodletting,and 24 hours postoperatively.Intraoperative blood loss,cases required blood transfusion,total blood infusion,plasma infusion and 24 hour drainage postoperatively were also assessed. Results There was significant reduction in intraoperative blood loss in Group A compared with Group B(P0.05).Less postoperative 24 hour drainage were observed in Group A than that in Group B.There were no significant differences between the two groups in Hb,Hct or PT at 24 hours postoperatively(P0.05).However,significantly less perioperative red blood cells and plasma transfusion were spotted in Group A,so was the cases required blood transfusion(P0.05). Conclusion Auto-transfusion reduces both blood usage and postoperative blood loss in heart surgery,providing safer perioperative care.