[Autologous hemotherapy in heart transplantation: a case report]

The use of autologous blood in patients with organ transplantations is feasible only when the blood is stored in the frozen state, since the timing of the operation is not predictable. A 53 year-old patient with dilatative cardiomyopathy was selected for transplantation. By preoperative donation, four erythrocyte concentrates were prepared and frozen by high-glycerol low-temperature technique. The frozen blood was thawed, manually washed and made available for transfusion as required. The increment of hemoglobin after transfusion was 0.9 g/dl per unit. Quality control of the prepared erythrocyte concentrates was performed: Resistance to osmotic fragility of the erythrocytes was in the normal range, beginning hemolysis was found at 0.40 +/- 0.02% NaCl, complete hemolysis was found at 0.30 +/- 0.02% NaCl. The osmolarity of the supernatant fluid of the final washing was 0.314 +/- 0.116 mosmol/l. This case report stresses the feasibility to prepare and store autologous blood even if the time when the blood is needed cannot be determined.