AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD-TRANSFUSION IN RADICAL HYSTERECTOMY

The application of a hospital-based presurgical autologous blood depos it programme to support of radical hysterectomy is described over 4 ye ars (1991-95), during which 48 patients participated in the autologous blood programme, and 63 did not to do so. All but one of the autologo us donors received autologous blood but only two received allogeneic b lood. Forty-three of the autologous nondonors received no transfusion and 20 received allogeneic blood. These differences are highly signifi cant. For the 48 autologous donors, 91% of the blood requested was col lected, and of that 91% was used, for a 'wastage' rate of 9%. The mean blood use was significantly greater in the autologous donors. Blood l oss was not significantly different between the two groups. The data c onfirm the validity of the autologous blood order schedule of 2 units for radical hysterectomy.