The variability of compensatory erythropoiesis in repeated autologous blood donation.
BACKGROUND
Compensatory RBC production during repeated preoperative autologous blood donation (PABD) shows marked interindividual variability. This study was performed to reveal variables that might be useful to predict the amount of the erythropoietic response to PABD in an individual patient who was not iron deficient.


METHODS
In a retrospective study, 104 adult patients, 48 women and 56 men (mean age, 59.9 years; range, 18-82 years) who donated 3 units (450 mL) of autologous blood at weekly intervals for major surgery were investigated. Blood counts, ferritin, and net preoperative RBC production (net RBC production) were determined in all patients, and soluble transferrin receptor and endogenous levels of EPO, SCF, and IL-1beta were measured in 63 patients. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine whether the variance of net RBC production was attributable to baseline values of these variables.


RESULTS
Net RBC production was not different in patients who received oral iron and patients who did not (384 +/- 222 mL vs. 356 +/- 158 mL). In both groups, the same two variables consistently showed a significant relationship to net RBC production: the length of the period between the third donation and the last visit was positively related (p = 0.00001 vs. p = 0.0002) and the Hct at baseline was negatively related (p = 0.0002 vs. p = 0.02) with net RBC production. The proportion of variance in net RBC production that was attributable to these two variables was 48.1 percent (r(2) = 0.481) and 34.9 percent (r(2) = 0.349), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
RBC production after PABD increases with increasing interval from last donation to surgery. This suggests that the interval from last donation to surgery should be maximized. This can be achieved by organizational measures in combination with the preparation of RBC concentrates in additive solution with a maximum shelf life.
Department of Transfusion Medicine and Hemostaseology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. volker.weisbach@trans.imed.uni-erlangen.de
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V
Weisbach
C
C
Corbière
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E
Strasser
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Zingsem
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R
Zimmermann
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R
Eckstein
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001782:Blood Donors; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis