title: Autotransfusion during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
abstract: To reduce allogeneic blood transfusion requirements during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) we evaluated an autotransfusion device which processes and retransfuses erythrocytes of changed ECMO-systems. We studied 10 elective changes of ECMO-systems in 7 patients. Hemoglobin levels, the amount of retransfused autologous blood and of transfused allogeneic packed red blood cell units were documented within 48 h after the system change and compared to the measurements obtained from former ECMO-system changes without using any autotransfusion device. We determined the Horrowitz-index, Interleukin 6, 10, TNF-alpha and endothelin-I concentrations and coagulation parameters during the 48 hours after system change to study the compatibility of this procedure. Allogeneic blood transfusion was reduced from 7 to 2 units of packed red cells using the autotransfusion device. Additionally, no hints of any harmful side effects in these patients was observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany. Tolksdorf-Bernd@t-online.de
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tolksdorf
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmeck
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osika
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Bender
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quintel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D004867:Equipment Design; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006454:Hemoglobins; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007378:Interleukins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha