Autologous blood
Patient Blood Management (PBM) is a clinical regimen that improves treatment outcomes by reducing the use of donor blood. Using a patient’s shed blood for transfusion is a valuable PBM tool. PBM enhances medical and surgical regimens to preserve patients’ blood, thus reducing the need for transfusions of donated blood, which can avoid complications and costs.
According to medical guidelines, autologous blood transfusion, the preferred method addresses critical implications associated with donor blood transfusion. The quality of autologous or cell-salvaged blood is superior, matches the patient’s profile, and is available in severe bleeding. It can also be prepared and transfused at a lower cost.
Processing Autologous Blood
The prerequisite for autologous blood transfusion is that it is “washed” before reinfusion; with essential components such as red blood cells and platelets captured while harmful agents and activated factors are washed out. Current autologous blood preparation solutions, called cell savers, capture red blood cells using centrifugal force but are limited by their availability, affordability, and requirements for trained operators and expensive consumables. In addition, platelets (thrombocytes), which can help stop bleeding, are not captured by centrifugal technologies.