Banked and fresh autologous blood in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.

When 50 patients having autologous transfusions of two units of blood collected intraoperatively during coronary bypass surgery were compared with 50 patients receiving only homologous donor blood, it was found that a two-unit (20%) decrease in homologous blood usage per case occurred in the group receiving the autologous blood. No decrease occurred in total units of blood used per case. In 15 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery, in addition to the two units of autolobous blood collected during surgery, two or four units of autologous blood were obtained preoperatively and administered intraoperatively. When four units were collected, the red blood cells were frozen until just prior to surgery. Total blood usage per case remained unchanged but a 4.6 unit (41%) decrease in homologous donor blood usage was noted. Patients phlebotomized preoperatively took 325 mgm of oral iron t.i.d. through the postoperative recovery period. These patients had an average decrease in hematocrit of 4.25 to 4.3 per cent following the final phlebotomy and just prior to surgery.