AANA journal course: new technologies in anesthesia: update for nurse anesthetists--intraoperative blood salvage

The transfusion of blood and blood products is often a lifesaving measure in a variety of medical and surgical conditions. The benefits of transfusion are increasingly contrasted with associated risks. Today, various alternatives exist that attempt to minimize or eliminate the known transmission of infection or reactions attributed to transfusion. The intraoperative salvage and reinfusion of red blood cells is one of the alternatives and is the focus of this lesson.