[The validity of using autologous placental blood in transfusion medicine]

Resuscitation of the newborn with severe anemia and shock requires rapid expansion of the circulatory volume. This study was done to answer the question whether an infant's autologous placental blood can be recommended for this purpose. In 20 term newborns we obtained immediately after placenta delivery placental blood for bacteriologic, biochemical, hematologic and hemostaseologic investigations by a special placental vein cannulation technique. Besides other coagulation tests resonancethrombography was done and proved to be a simple, quick and reliable method to study coagulability of the placental blood samples. Together with the well-known advantages of autologous blood use the results of this study encourage us to consider autologous placental blood valuable in situations of urgent neonatal volume resuscitation.