[Blood samples programmed for deferred autologous transfusions --experience at the Hôpital Saint-Louis]

Since 1980 preoperative autologous blood donation program has been implemented at Hospital Saint-Louis involving 1,250 patients. This report describes the results from January to August 1987. A total of 131 patients undergoing 3 types of elective surgery (total hip replacement, plastic surgery, and bone marrow donation for allogenic transplantation) predeposited blood, donating on average 2.2 units of packed red cells. Nevertheless autologous red cell units represent only 2% of the total consumption in the Hospital Saint-Louis and 7% of the transfusions in the surgery patients. The use of predonated blood should be extended in order to reduce the incidence of transfusion-related disease.