Abstract
After open-heart surgery using extracorporeal circulation, residual blood from the heart-lung machine was collected, treated by plasmaphaeresis and washed using a Haemonetics Cell Saver. Qualitative, quantitative and bacteriological aspects of the concentrated red cells were studied.
In 13 patients, an average of 500 ml of concentrated washed red cells (CWRC) was obtained with an average haematocrit of 62·3 %; bacteriological cultures were negative in all cases. As far as qualitative aspects were concerned (intraglobular ATP, 2, 3 DPG, deformability, filtrability and resistance to hypotonic solutions), these red cells were always compatible with immediate transfusion. However, the small volume of blood retrieved and the relatively high cost of this technique suggest that its use be restricted to cases of total haemodilution or for patients with rare blood groups, in whom homologous transfusion blood is scarce.
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