Acute normovolemic hemodilution is a cost-effective alternative to preoperative autologous blood donation by patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy.
BACKGROUND
Preoperative autologous blood donation is accepted as a standard of care for radical prostatectomy. Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) is an alternative method for obtaining autologous blood. The cost and benefits of these two autologous blood-collection techniques are compared.


METHODS
Thirty consecutive patients scheduled for radical prostatectomy underwent ANH to a target hematocrit level of 28 percent. Blood was transfused in the perioperative period to maintain the hematocrit level > 25 percent. Hematocrit levels, transfusion outcomes and costs, and postoperative outcomes for these patients (hemodilution group) were compared with a matched patient cohort who preoperatively donated 3 units of blood for autologous use in prostatectomy surgery (nonhemodilution group, n = 30).


RESULTS
Thirty patients underwent ANH to a hematocrit level of 28.7 +/- 1.7 percent, and 1740 +/- 346 mL (3.5 +/- 0.7 units) of blood were collected. Three (10%) of the patients in each cohort had allogeneic blood exposure. Transfusion costs were 73 percent higher for the nonhemodilution group patients than for the hemodilution group patients ($330 +/- $100 vs. $191 +/- $55, p < 0.001). No differences were found in postoperative outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
An integrated blood conservation program utilizing hemodilution and a defined transfusion trigger can decrease the requirement for preoperative donation of blood for autologous use in radical prostatectomy. Point-of-care autologous blood procurement is more cost-effective than preadmission donation of autologous blood units.
Monk
T G
TG
Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Goodnough
L T
LT
Birkmeyer
J D
JD
Brecher
M E
ME
Catalona
W J
WJ
D000368:Aged; D000094902:Blood Banking / Q000379:methods*; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*