[Intraoperative blood recovery in transurethral resection of prostate (TURP)]

Blood collected from irrigating fluid in TURP was studied if it was appropriate blood as autologous transfusion or not. TURP was performed aided by continuous irrigation through suprapubic cystostomy. The cystostomy tube was connected to the Shiley STAT or Haemonetics Cell Saver in 15 patients. The average weight of resected adenoma was 36 g per patient. The product of washed blood gave an average yield of 440 ml per patient with an average RBC count of 469 x 10(3)/mm3, hemoglobin of 14.6 g/dl, hematocrit of 44.8%, platelets of 15400/mm3. The half-life of collected red blood cells tagged with 55Cr was 22 days. The urine in 10 patients (67%) were contaminated with bacteria before TURP, and 3 of collected blood were contaminated with bacteria (20%). As for carcinoma cells, cultured urinary bladder carcinoma cells (T24) and renal carcinoma cells (ACHN) were completely eliminated after filtration through leukocyte removal filter Sepacell or Pall RC. As results, the intraoperatively collected blood from irrigating fluid in TURP was useful and safe as autologous blood transfusion.