Application of Component Apheresis in Pre-deposited Autotransfusion

This study aims to evaluate the effects of preoperative autologous blood donation (PABD) using apheresis in patients who underwent elective surgical procedures, and investigate its clinical usefulness.

Data from 109 patients who underwent general and orthopedics elective surgery were analyzed in this study. Patients were divided into three groups: control group, patients who did not donate autologous blood; whole blood (WB) PABD group, patients who underwent preoperative autologous WB donation; autologous apheresis group, patients who donated autologous blood using erythrocytapheresis. Hb, Hct, and PLT levels in all patients were measured and compared before the operation and on postoperative days one and three. Furthermore, postoperative recovery indexes in the three groups were compared including allogeneic blood transfusions and postoperative hospitalization days.

Hb, Hct, and PLT levels in the three groups after the operation were lower than levels before the operation. However, Hb levels were higher than 110 g/L and the Hct levels were not less than 33%. Differences in Hb and Hct drop values on postoperative days one and three among the three groups were statistically significant (P>0.05). Furthermore, PLT level in the control group was lower than in the WB PABD group and autologous apheresis group (P<0.05). PABD using erythrocytapheresis reduced blood transfusion (P<0.05).

Erythrocytapheresis PABD led to an equal or even better postoperative recovery effect than WB PABD, and erythrocytapheresis PABD is feasible for blood transfusion therapy in patients undergoing elective surgical procedures.