Autotransfusion; a review

Autologous blood transfusion is a procedure in which blood is removed from a donor (patient) and returned to his circulation at some later time. Autologous blood transfusion can be performed in four different ways: 1. elective preoperative blood collection, storage and retransfusion during surgery; 2. immediate preoperative phlebotomy with simultaneous artificial hemodilution and later reinfusion of phlebotomized blood; 3. pre- or postoperative salvage and retransfusion of blood shed via wound drains as an emergency method; 4. intraoperative blood salvage and retransfusion. All these four types of autotransfusion offer a potentially superior method of blood transfusion which eliminates many of the problems and complications associated with the banking and administration of homologous donor blood. However, autotransfusion has it's own inherent problems and hazards which have limited its acceptance. A review to literature on autotransfusion is given, with the emphasis on intraoperative blood salvage and retransfusion mode. Some of our experiences with intraoperative autotransfusion is also presented here.