Preservation of Platelet Function After Intraoperative Cell Salvage Using the i-SEP Same Device in Cardiac Surgery

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Transfusion Medicine
• Hematology

Background:

• On-pump cardiac surgery often requires blood transfusions.
• Intraoperative autotransfusion aims to recover and reinfuse patient's own blood.
• The Same system is designed to retain both red blood cells and platelets during autotransfusion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate platelet function preservation after intraoperative autotransfusion using the Same system.
• To assess the efficacy of the Same system in retaining functional platelets and red blood cells.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, observational study at a university tertiary care hospital.
• Forty-four adult patients undergoing elective on-pump cardiac surgery.
• Shed and residual cardiopulmonary bypass blood processed intraoperatively using the Same system; reinfusion bag contents compared to patient blood samples.

Main Results:

• Platelet count in reinfusion bag was lower (76.5% relative recovery), with partial preservation of platelet activation markers and aggregation responses.
• Hematocrit was significantly higher in the reinfusion bag.
• No adverse events were reported.

Conclusions:

• The Same device recovers functional platelets and red blood cells from cardiopulmonary bypass blood.
• Cumulative platelet recovery over three cycles approximated one-third of a standard platelet concentrate.
• Autologous platelet recovery may contribute to perioperative hemostatic support, warranting further clinical investigation.