Intraoperative autologous transfusion.

Intraoperative autologous transfusion is a technique that was first used almost 2 centuries ago but that has realized its potential only in the past 5 years. A growing national awareness of transfusion-related morbidity, of the need for alternative blood sources, and of improved methods for red blood cell recovery has led to an increased frequency of use of autologous transfusion. Most hospital programs use semicontinuous flow centrifugation or canister technology for the intraoperative salvage and reinfusion of shed blood. This technique is particularly valuable for cardiovascular surgical procedures but has been useful in many other types of surgical procedures as well. Deleterious effects formerly attributed to this technique have been eliminated by methodologic improvements. Concerns about use of autologous transfusion in patients who have an infection or a malignant lesion persist. Most hematologic aberrations are related to massive transfusions and should not be considered a contraindication to the general use of autologous blood.