The results of intraoperative autotransfusion in orthopaedic surgery

Perioperative hemorrhage associated with major orthopaedic surgery can become life threatening. Homologous bank blood transfusion can replace the volume of blood lost but it has serious disadvantages such as the transmission of viral agents, it has an insufficient platelet count, and transfusion reactions are possible. Hypotensive anesthesia, predeposited autologous blood transfusion and intraoperative autotransfusion are used to reduce these disadvantages. This study evaluates the results of 700 patients who underwent major orthopaedic intervention in our clinic between June 1991 and April 1998. Ninety-nine patients had hip surgery while 601 patients had spinal surgery. The autotransfusion unit saved an average of 858.9 +/- 136.8 cc of blood and an average of 1.9 +/- 1.2 units of saved blood was transfused. None of these patients needed homologous blood transfusion. One hundred patients who had spinal surgery during the same period were used as a control group. The control group required an average of 3.2 +/- 2.1 units of bank blood. Preoperative and postoperative hematocrit values revealed a statistically significant difference between the autotransfusion group and the homologous transfusion group (p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that intraoperative autotransfusion prevents the decrease in hematocrit values while reducing the need for bank blood transfusion and hence avoiding the risk of transmission of viral infections.     

Transfusion of previously deposited autologous blood for patients undergoing hip-replacement surgery

The efficacy of a program of transfusion of previously deposited autologous blood for patients undergoing total hip-replacement surgery was studied by comparing five different parameters for a group of fifty consecutive patients who deposited blood for autologous transfusion and a randomly chosen, closely matched control group of fifty patients who received only homologous blood. Sixty-two per cent of the patients in the group that deposited autologous blood did not receive additional homologous blood while in the hospital. The patients who deposited autologous blood had a mean preoperative hematocrit of 36 per cent, compared with 39 per cent for the control group, but the average postoperative hematocrits of the two groups did not differ (33 per cent). There was no significant difference in the average total loss of blood or need for replacement of blood between the groups. Transfusion-related complications developed in two patients in the control group. We concluded that previous deposit of autologous blood for transfusion is an effective method for reducing the need for transfusion of homologous blood and for avoiding the attendant complications of transfusion of homologous blood. This method of the replacement of blood should be considered for patients who are to undergo a major orthopaedic procedure on the hip.     

Effect of autologous blood donation in patients undergoing elective spine surgery.

Autologous blood predeposit before elective surgery is a rapidly expanding transfusion practice. A 3-year analysis of an autologous blood predeposit program was conducted to assess its impact on orthopaedic spine surgery. It was concluded that, first, autologous blood donation has resulted in a reduction of homologous blood transfusions in patients undergoing elective spine procedures from 26% to 13% (P = .02). Second, autologous blood preoperative donation in elective spine surgery has increased significantly, so that autologous blood as an alternative to homologous blood transfusion now represents a standard of practice for elective spine surgery at the institution included in the study. Third, limitations of preoperative autologous blood procurement suggest that application of additional blood conservation interventions as alternatives to homologous blood would be important contributors to achieving "bloodless" surgery in this setting.     

Autologous transfusions for orthopaedic procedures at a children's hospital.

We conducted a critical review of the use of autologous transfusions in orthopaedics at a tertiary-care children's hospital. The cases of 198 children who deposited blood before an orthopaedic operation were analyzed. There were 175 children who were enrolled in the program of preoperative deposit of autologous blood who later needed transfusion of blood; 73 per cent of them received only autologous blood. Seventy patients also had intraoperative salvage. We were unable to document a proved benefit of intraoperative salvage of blood in this group of patients. Forty patients had some difficulty donating autologous blood preoperatively, but these problems were rarely serious. Major human errors occurred in thirteen patients and resulted in some patients receiving homologous transfusions while autologous blood components were still available. Fifty-five (40 per cent) of all of the transfusions were administered in clinical circumstances that failed to meet generally accepted criteria for transfusion, and fifty-four (38 per cent) of the postoperative transfusions also failed to meet these criteria. This was true of the homologous transfusions in the study as well. Although an autologous blood transfusion is a generally safe procedure, it is not without risk, and human errors can occur. In light of the potential complications, surgeons should adhere to the standard indications for transfusion when administering autologous blood.     

Identifying patients for blood conservation strategies

BACKGROUND: Generally, only the type of operation is used to estimate the need for perioperative homologous blood transfusion. This study quantified the extent to which the estimation could be improved if, in addition, simple patient characteristics were taken into account. METHODS: Retrospective data on 24 509 consecutive adult surgical patients were used to derive and validate three models to predict perioperative homologous transfusion. The first model was a univariable model with type of operation as the only predictor. The second and third models were a full and a simplified multivariable logistic regression model. The performance of the multivariable models was tested in two validation sets: in similar patients who had operations in the same general hospital (internal validation) and in patients who had operations in a university hospital (external validation). The areas under the receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve were compared with that found in the derivation set. RESULTS: There were no important differences in characteristics between the derivation and validation sets. The ROC area of the model including surgery only was 0.92 (99 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 0.91 to 0.94) and that of the full and simplified multivariable models 0.95 (99 per cent c.i. 0.94 to 0.96) and 0.94 (99 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 0.95) respectively. The latter two were significantly different from the first one. In the external validation set the ROC area of the simplified model was 0.84 (95 per cent c.i. 0.83 to 0.86). Patients who had a preoperative haemoglobin level lower than 13 g/dl and underwent major invasive surgery had the highest risk (43 per cent) of transfusion. CONCLUSION: A simple algorithm using type of operation and haemoglobin concentration was effective in identifying patients likely to need perioperative homologous blood transfusion.     

The efficacy of blood conservation technique for coronary artery bypass graft surgery]

To evaluate the efficacy of blood conservation technique at our center, 144 patients undergoing primary coronary artery bypass grafting were studied between Jan. 1988, and Dec. 1990. Combined intraoperative and postoperative autotransfusion technique reduced the requirement of homologous blood to a half and 24% of the patients were without homologous transfusion. With more use of dilutional autotransfusion, 41% of the patients were without homologous transfusion. Intraoperative and postoperative autotransfusion technique is effective and dilutional autotransfusion is also a relatively effective method to reduce homologous transfusion.     

Preoperative administration of epoetin alfa to reduce transfusion requirements in elderly patients having primary total hip or knee reconstruction

Avoidance of allogeneic blood transfusion is challenging in elderly patients with multiple comorbid conditions, who need major elective orthopaedic surgery. We conducted a study comparing the safety and efficacy of preoperative recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin alfa) in patients having major elective orthopaedic surgery and in matched historical control patients. Patients aged 70 years or more undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) were given two or three doses, respectively, of epoetin alfa (40,000 IU). They also received oral iron for 14 or 21 days. Epoetin alfa increased hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HCT) levels before surgery; 74% of control patients required blood transfusion, compared with 12.5% of patients receiving epoetin alfa. No serious adverse event was attributed to study treatment. These data indicate that epoetin alfa is safe and effective and reduces the need for allogeneic blood transfusion in elderly patients having elective total joint replacement.     

The benefit of the Hemonetics® cell saver apparatus during cardiac surgery

This retrospective chart review of 155 patients having coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) over a two-month period determined whether the use of a cell saver apparatus (CSA) (1) reduced or increased the requirements for homologous blood; (2) increased the incidence of post-surgical bleeding; (3) was cost-effective. Two groups of patients were identified. Group 1 (n = 99) received both CSA processed red blood cells and homologous blood components. Requirement for homologous blood products was reduced in the first 24 hr after surgery (0.5 +/- 1.0 vs 1.3 +/- 1.8 units; P less than 0.05) when compared with Group 2 (n = 56) in whom only homologous blood products were utilized. More patients in Group 1 had no transfusion requirements (45 vs 8; P less than 0.05) and there was no increased risk of major haemorrhage. When the capital costs are included, utilization of the CSA was not cost-effective. We conclude that utilisation of a CSA was safe, with no increased risk of bleeding, reduced requirements for homologous blood transfusions, but added to the cost of the procedure.     

自体血小板分离联合术中自体血回输对骨科手术患者凝血功能的影响作用

目的观察术前自体血小板分离联合术中自体血回输对骨科手术患者凝血功能的影响作用。方法60例骨科择期手术患者（预计出血量〉1000ml,ASAⅠ～Ⅱ级）,随机分为3组,每组20例患者。Ⅰ组采用术前自体血小板分离联合术中自体血回输,Ⅱ组采用单纯术中自体血回输,Ⅲ组不进行任何血液保护措施。各组分别于麻醉前、血小板分离后10min、保存的血小板或自体血回输前10min、回输后10min、术后24h、术后48h检测相应时点的血红蛋白水平、凝血功能、血小板水平和聚集功能、术中术后出血量及异体输血情况。结果三组的一般资料、术中出血量、术中术后的血红蛋白水平比较未见明显差异。与Ⅰ组相比,Ⅱ、Ⅲ组术后24h和术后48h的血小板水平和聚集功能明显降低（P〈0．05）,术后出血量及异体输血率则明显增高（P〈0．01）。结论术前自体血小板分离联合术中自体血回输可明显改善骨科手术患者的凝血功能,并有效降低术后出血量和异体血的输注。     

What is the Role of Autologous Blood Transfusion in Major Spine Surgery?

Major spine surgery is associated with significant blood loss, which has numerous complications. Blood loss is therefore an important concern when undertaking any major spine surgery. Blood loss can be addressed by reducing intraoperative blood loss and replenishing perioperative blood loss. Reducing intraoperative blood loss helps maintain hemodynamic equilibrium and provides a clearer operative field during surgery. Homologous blood transfusion is still the mainstay for replenishing blood loss in major spine surgery across the world, despite its known adverse effects. These significant adverse effects can be seen in up to 20% of patients. Autologous blood transfusion avoids the risks associated with homologous blood transfusion and has been shown to be cost-effective. This article reviews the different methods of autologous transfusion and focuses on the use of intraoperative cell salvage in major spine surgery. Autologous blood transfusion is a proven alternative to homologous transfusion in major spine surgery, avoiding most, if not all of these adverse effects. However, autologous blood transfusion rates in major spine surgery remain low across the world. Autologous blood transfusion may obviate the need for homologous transfusion completely. We encourage spine surgeons to consider autologous blood transfusion wherever feasible.     

Reduction of blood loss using high-dose aprotinin in major orthopaedic surgery: a prospective,double-blind,randomised and placebo-controlled study

We have investigated in a prospective,randomised placebo-controlled study the effect of high-dose aprotinin on blood loss in patients admitted for major surgery (revision arthroplasty of the hip or knee, or for resection of a soft-tissue sarcoma). The mean intraoperative blood loss was reduced from 1957 ml in the control group to 736 ml in the aprotinin group (p = 0.002). The mean requirement for intraoperative homologous blood transfusion in the aprotinin group was 1.4 units (95% CI 0.2 to 2.7) and 3.1 units (95% CI 1.7 to 4.6) in the control group (p = 0.033). The mean length of hospital stay was reduced from 27.8 days in the control group to 17.6 days in the aprotinin group which was not statistically significant. The intraoperative use of aprotinin in major orthopaedic operations significantly reduced blood loss and the required amount of packed cells. It may result in in the length of hospital stay and costs.     

Prior deposition of autologous blood in elective orthopaedic surgery

We retrospectively analyzed a program of prior deposit and storage of autologous blood that was used for patients who underwent elective orthopaedic procedures over a period of thirty-six months at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Of a total of 211 patients who underwent total joint replacement or spinal fusion during this period and who had sufficient records to be included in the study, a total of 159 patients enrolled in the program. The fifty-two patients who did not enroll in the study, twelve of whom were rejected because of medical problems, served as a control group. Since the preoperative hematocrit values for patients in the group that received autologous blood were similar to those for the control group, multiple preoperative phlebotomies in these patients, who had received supplemental iron, did not seem to have any deleterious effects. One hundred and thirteen (71 per cent) of the 159 patients who were enrolled in the program received only autologous blood. The remaining forty-six patients required homologous blood also, but 64 per cent of their transfusion needs were provided by autologous blood. The only reactions to the transfusions in the study were in four patients who received homologous blood. We think that a program of prior deposit and storage of autologous blood should be an option for patients who are to undergo elective orthopaedic surgery. Such a program is well tolerated by the patients and easily managed by the staff, and it was not difficult to implement at our tertiary referral hospital.     

Benefits and limitation of extracorporeal circulation with autologous blood using low priming membrane oxygenator

The high incidence of hepatitis following cardiopulmonary bypass has stimulated attempts to develop a technique of perfusion without homologous blood. Between October, 1987 and March, 1988, 36 patients underwent open heart surgery without homologous blood transfusion were investigated. Patients with infective endocarditis and urgent surgical cases were excluded from this study. Out of 36 patients using hemoconcentrator, autologous blood and the Variable Prime Cobe Membrane Lung (VPCML), 28 patients (78%) could avoid homologous blood transfusion during the operation and 24 patients (67%) received no homologous blood throughout their hospital stay. Thus, the application of lower volume extracorporeal oxygenator system, reinfusion of residual pump volume using hemoconcentrator and predonated autologous blood could achieved cardiac surgery without homologous blood transfusions in the majority of patients. Moreover, the VPCML had sufficient gas transfer in adult patients with body weight ranging from 37 kg to 70 kg. In renal function, serum creatinine levels in patients without homologous blood were within normal limits throughout 1 month after surgery. However, creatinine level was significantly elevated at the third postoperative day in the homologous blood transfusion group. Thus, these results suggest that application of VPCML and hemoconcentrator combined with predonated autologous blood is useful to achieve open heart surgery without donor blood.     

Postoperative autotransfusion in primary knee replacement surgery

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of postoperative autologous transfusion to reduce homologous blood transfusion needs in primary knee replacement surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was carried out in 33 consecutive patients with diagnoses of arthrosis scheduled for primary knee replacement surgery with postoperative autotransfusion using a CBCII Constavac-Stryker (Stryker Instruments, Michigan, USA) recovery system from June through October 2002. We analyzed patient age, sex, preoperative and postoperative (24 hours) hemoglobin and hematocrit values, autologous blood reinfused and homologous blood transfusion incidence rate (if hematocrit was below 25%). RESULTS: Of the 33 patients receiving postoperative autotransfusion, one also needed homologous blood transfusion (3%). The mean volume of filtered whole blood reinfused was 538.63+/-261.23 mL, 1100 mL being the largest volume reinfused. We observed no complications related to use of autotransfusion devices during the perioperative period. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative autotransfusion as the only blood salvage technique in primary knee prosthesis surgery nearly eliminates homologous transfusion needs. In addition, it is a safe, simple procedure and has replaced our hospital's preoperative autologous transfusion procedure.     

Blood conservation in thoracic aortic surgery with total cardiopulmonary bypass

BACKGROUND: In thoracic aortic surgery, a large number of homologous transfusions sometimes cause systemic inflammatory response, which may lead to pulmonary dysfunction, renal dysfunction and brain edema. To predict the need for homologous blood transfusion in aortic surgery, we use blood transfusion index (preoperative Ht x body weight) to predict the magnitude of homologous transfusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From Dec 1997 to May 2000, 59 consecutive patients were underwent thoracic aortic graft replacement with total cardiopulmonary bypass. These patients were divided in 2 groups, who were underwent graft replacement without blood transfusions, and who needed blood transfusions. Each group was compared in age, sex, emergency, Ht, CPB time, blood transfusion index and operative mortality. RESULTS: Forty patients (67.7%) did not required blood transfusion. In elective cases (32 cases), 84.3% were underwent operation without blood transfusion. There was no significant difference between 2 groups in terms of age and mean bypass duration. Blood transfusion index was significantly higher in transfusion group (2,320 +/- 784) compared with that in not transfusion group (1,445 +/- 706). CONCLUSION: Blood transfusion index was useful preoperative parameter to predict the need for homologous transfusion.     

Reduced transfusion requirements during major hepatic resection with use of intraoperative isovolemic hemodilution

Background: Allogeneic blood transfusion during liver resection for malignancies has been associated with an increased incidence of tumor recurrence and decreased survival in some series. Isovolemic hemodilution (IH) has been utilized in cardiac, orthopedic, and major general surgery procedures to reduce the use of banked blood products. We therefore sought to determine the safety and efficacy of IH during major hepatic resection in an adult population.Methods: Thirteen consecutive patients undergoing major hepatic resection with IH were compared with 13 age- and disease-matched controls. The diseases included metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma (8 versus 9), hepatoma (2 in each group) and other (3 versus 2); and the procedures included total (right or left) hepatic lobectomy (8 versus 11), partial lobectomy (3 versus 1) and trisegmentectomy (2 versus 1).Results: There was no significant difference in operating time, estimated blood loss, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, amount of crystalloid or colloid infused between the two groups. There was no perioperative morbidity related to IH. The use of IH resulted in a 60% reduction in mean packed red blood cells transfusion during major hepatic resection. Only 38% of patients undergoing IH required packed red cells transfusion, whereas 77% of historical control patients required allogenic transfusion.Conclusion: The use of IH reduces the need for homologous transfusion during major hepatic resection. IH is a safe technique during hepatic resection and is not associated with perioperative morbidity.     

Acute isovolemic hemodilution during major hepatic resection—An initial report: Does it safely reduce the blood transfusion requirement?

Surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment for patients with hepatic tumors, despite the associated morbidity including the need for blood transfusion. Acute isovolemic hemodilution (AIH) has been shown to decrease the transfusion requirement for cardiac, urologic, and orthopedic procedures. However, the reported experience with AIH during hepatic resections is limited. Seven patients underwent major hepatic resection from July 1992 to June 1994 with standard AIH. Their clinical parameters were compared with those of nine matched control patients during the same time period. AIH and control patients had similar preoperative laboratory values (hematocrit, bilirubin, and coagulation studies), extent of liver resection, and pathologic diagnoses. Mean tumor diameters were larger in the AIH group (9.3 cm vs. 5.8 cm). Most important, patients managed with AIH required homologous blood transfusions significantly less often than the control group (14% vs. 67%;P=0.05). Furthermore, if they did receive transfusions, AIH patients needed fewer units of red cells (0.1±0.1 units vs. 1.7±0.6 units). There was no morbidity associated with AIH. AIH can be safely performed in patients undergoing major hepatic resection for malignancy. AIH appears to reduce the number of patients requiring homologous blood transfusion as well as the number of units transfused per patient. This technique warrants further study in a larger prospective, randomized trial.     

Intraoperative autologous transfusion in orthopaedic patients

The cases of 175 consecutive patients who had intraoperative autologous transfusion during revision total hip arthroplasty, an elective operation on the spine, repair of trauma to the spine, or open reduction of a fracture of the acetabulum were reviewed to evaluate the applicability of this technique in orthopaedic operations. A separate group of forty-one consecutive patients who had open reduction of a fracture of the acetabulum or the spine before the introduction of the autotransfuser was reviewed and compared with the group that had autotransfusion. An autologous blood predeposit program was used for twenty-five of fifty-two patients who had a procedure on the hip and for fifty-one of fifty-five patients who had an elective procedure on the spine. The mean rate of red blood-cell salvage using the autotransfuser was 60 per cent over-all. The mean transfusion requirements were significantly less (p less than 0.001) in all groups of patients in whom the autotransfuser was used. Use of the autotransfuser reduced the mean requirement for banked blood in patients who had a fracture of the acetabulum from 3.8 to 2.3 units per patient, and significantly reduced the mean need for banked blood in individuals who had trauma to the spine from 2.7 to 1.8 units per patient (p less than 0.01). The use of prebanked autologous blood further reduced the mean requirement for homologous blood from 2.4 to 0.8 unit per patient in those who had revision total hip arthroplasty (p less than 0.005), and from 3.6 to 0.4 unit per patient in those who had an elective procedure on the spine (p less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Transfusion policies in coronary artery bypass — a nationwide survey in Finland

Background : Since the discovery of HIV, minimizing the use of donor blood has become increasingly important in surgical activity. In Finland, however, the use of homologous red blood has grown considerably during the past years. Therefore, we found it necessary to conduct a nationwide survey of transfusion practices in elective surgery. This report deals with transfusions in coronary artery bypass (CABG) operations in all Finnish cardiac centres.
Methods : The study group comprised 804 primary CABG patients operated during a 2-year period. Two reviewers retrospectively examined the data concerning the use of and indications for homologous and autologous blood in the patient charts.
Results : In all, 705 (88%) of patients received homologous blood. The proportions of patients receiving blood components differed between hospitals: from 53 to 99% for red cells, 2 to 22% for fresh frozen plasma and 5 to 49% for platelets. The variation was not caused by diverse patient populations: the mean number of blood component units transfused per patient differed from 1 to 6 between centres — even after adjustment for confounding variables. Multiple blood conservation methods were used in one centre. Nevertheless, homologous blood was administered to 88% of their patients.
Conclusions : A considerable proportion of CABG patients are transfused with homologous blood in Finland compared to other countries. In addition, the transfusion practices proved highly variable between hospitals and were determined largely by local opinions. This study reveals a clear demand for prospective studies and constructive discussion among anaesthesiologists to establish uniform guidelines for blood use in cardiac surgery.     

Transfusion-related non-A, non-B hepatitis in elective spine deformity surgery patients in Gothenburg, Sweden

This study presented a retrospective analysis of the incidence and clinical course of non-A, non-B hepatitis in patients after receiving homologous blood transfusion for elective spine deformity surgery, at Sahlgren Hospital. The medical records of all patients who underwent surgical procedures for scoliosis and spondylolisthesis between January 1, 1971 and December 31, 1986 were reviewed. From this group, 918 patients with negative medical histories for prior homologous blood transfusion, hepatitis, or the exposure to hepatotoxic medications were selected. All of the patients received two or more units of homologous blood and were followed for at least 1 year postoperatively. Eight hundred fifty-nine (94%) of the patients were either personally interviewed or contacted by mail. The group included 697 scoliosis patients (average age 16.2) and 162 spondylolisthesis patients (average age, 16.8). The scoliosis and spondylolisthesis patients received an average of 5.6 and 3.4 units of homologous blood, respectively. Three patients (0.35%) developed posttransfusion hepatitis, all non-A non-B. The incubation period was 9 to 12 weeks. Presenting symptoms varied widely, ranging from no symptoms to marked icterus. Two of the three patients went on to develop chronic persistent hepatitis, which was confirmed by liver biopsy. The incidence identified in this retrospective study was low when compared with an overall incidence of 4 to 15%, as presented in several larger prospective studies. Non-A, non-B hepatitis is a major risk associated with the homologous transfusion of blood and must be considered one of the more serious complications in surgery for spinal deformity.