Reduction of the amount of perioperative blood transfusion by autotransfusion techniques in valvular heart surgery

: We used autotransfusion in valvular heart surgery and evaluated its effect on perioperative homologous blood requirements. Methods of autotransfusion we used were intraoperative blood salvage using Cell Saver 4 and retransfusion (IAT), postoperative autotransfusion of shed mediastinal blood (PAT), and hemodilutional autotransfusion (HAT). The patients undergoing valvular heart operations were divided into three groups; group 1 (control group), group 2 (using IAT and PAT group), and group 3 (using IAT, PAT, and HAT group). Perioperative homologous blood requirements significantly decreased in group 3 compared to group 1 and group 2. Operations without homologous blood transfusion significantly increased in number in group 3 compared with group 1. In conclusion, autotransfusions described above were useful blood conservation techniques in valvular heart surgery.