[Autotransfusion during caesarean section with blood containing p salbutamol without adverse effects]

We report the case of a patient presenting with a placenta praevia and who donated autologous blood while she had beta 2-agonist tocolysis. As the restitution of blood containing salbutamol at therapeutic concentration may induce uterine atony and cardiovascular symptoms, we monitored maternal clinical signs and plasma concentrations of salbutamol when autologous blood was retransfused after the end of Caesarean section. The maternal plasma beta 2-agonist levels during tocolysis were in agreement with the usual therapeutic concentrations. The beta 2-agonist infusion was discontinued 30 minutes before the subarachnoid blockade and the blood concentration measured at the time of skin incision was below the therapeutic threshold. The retransfusion of autologous blood neither raised the salbutamol concentration above the therapeutic threshold value, nor induced any clinical symptoms. After Caesarean section the retransfusion of autologous blood containing therapeutic concentration of salbutamol seems to be innocuous.