title: Preoperative autologous blood donation reduces the need for allogeneic blood products: a prospective randomized study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to assess the efficacy of preoperative autologous blood donation in reducing patient exposure to allogeneic blood products following elective cardiac surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 48 patients in a prospective study and randomly assigned them into the control or treatment group. We excluded patients with aortic stenosis, main trunk stenosis and unstable angina. Group A (n=23; coronary disease n=21 and valvular disease n=2) was the control group, and group B (n=25; coronary disease n=21, valvular disease n=4) received preoperative autologous blood donation. All patients had cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and we processed mediastinal blood with a cell-saver device before reinfusion. All patients received aprotinin, and we reinfused blood shed from the mediastinum postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No major peri- or postoperative complications occurred. We interrupted preoperative blood donation in 2 patients (8%) because of worsened angina pectoris. The mean time between the first blood donation and surgery was 22.5 (standard deviation [SD] 9.4, range 12-50) days. In group A, 9 patients (39.1%) were exposed to allogeneic blood products. In group B, 11 patients (47.8%) were exposed to blood products (p=0.73), and 4 (16%) were exposed to allogeneic blood products (p=0.036).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative blood donation was completed in 92% of the targeted low-risk population. The procedure significantly reduced exposure to perioperative allogeneic blood products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Quebec. denis.bouchard@icm-mhi.org
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marcheix
authors.forename: Sfoug
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Shamary
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vanden Eynden
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demers
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Robitaille
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellerin
authors.forename: Louis P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Perrault
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrier
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous