K. Hallfeldt et al., PREOPERATIVE AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD DONATION AN D ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR PULMONAL LOBECTOMIES, Zentralblatt fur Chirurgie, 120(3), 1995, pp. 228-233
It was the aim of the underlying study to determine the value of preop
erative autologous blood donation and its importance with regard to pu
lmonal lobectomies. Over the course of three years and a total number
of 220 operations, autologous blood was preoperatively deposited in 74
cases. 21 patients did not meet the criteria for autologous blood don
ation and hence, were omitted from the study. It was found that only 5
.4% of the patients who had donated autologous blood required a homolo
gous blood transfusion versus 27.2% in the non-donor group. This would
imply, that the necessity for homologous blood transfusion is reduced
by approximately 80% in patients depositing autologous blood prior to
surgery. Observing a similar haemoglobin in both groups at admission,
it was found that autologous blood donors went into surgery with an h
b 1.5 g/dl lower than non donors; the levels however adjusting themsel
ves immediately postoperatively. No increased complication rate was fo
und as a result of preoperative autologous blood donation. The data in
dicate that only 30% of patients undergoing pulmonal lobectomy require
homologous blood tranfusions. 80% of these patients could profit from
preoperative autologous blood donation. For 70% of all patients the p
rocedure would be of no benefit. Bearing in mind the immunosuppressive
effect of homologous blood transfusions, which may result in a higher
rate of tumor recurrence, we find preoperative autologous blood donat
ion a justifiable procedure even under these circumstances. It would h
owever he beneficial if studies were conducted hereby investigating to
what extent similar results could be achieved by preoperative acute i
sovolemic hemodilution.