AUTOTRANSFUSION DURING CESAREAN-SECTION W ITH BLOOD CONTAINING 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 conc entration may induce uterine atony and cardiovascular symptoms, we mon itored maternal clinical signs and plasma concentrations of salbutamol when autologous blood was retransfused after the end of Caesarean sec tion. The maternal plasma beta(2)-agonist levels during tocolysis were in agreement with the usual therapeutic concentrations. The beta(2)-a gonist infusion was discontinued 30 minutes before the subarachnoid bl ockade and the blood concentration measured at the time of skin incisi on was below the therapeutic threshold. The retransfusion of autologou s blood neither raised the salbutamol concentration above the therapeu tic threshold value, nor induced any clinical symptoms. After Caesarea n section the retransfusion of autologous blood containing therapeutic concentration of salbutamol seems to be innocuous.