Autologous blood procurement in the surgical setting: lessons learned in the last 10 years.

The percentage of blood transfused yearly that is autologous has increased substantially over the last 10 years. While autologous blood is regarded as a standard of care in many elective surgical settings, the increasing safety of allogeneic blood and the expense of autologous blood procurement have raised question regarding the appropriate roles of autologous blood in blood conservation strategies. We therefore review current activities and emerging questions that arise from this maturing arena.