BACKGROUND This single-blind randomized study in general surgery evaluated the efficacy of perflubron emulsion (PFC) as an artificial oxygen carrier being used to augment preoperative acute normovolemic hemodilution to reduce and avoid transfusion of both allogeneic erythrocytes and erythrocytes from preoperative autologous donation compared with standard of care. METHODS Subjects (N = 492) w...

BACKGROUND Increases in myocardial blood flow preserve myocardial oxygenation during moderate acute normovolemic hemodilution. Hypocapnic alkalosis (HA) is known to cause coronary vasoconstriction and increase hemoglobin-oxygen affinity. We evaluated whether these effects would compromise myocardial oxygenation during hemodilution. METHODS Eighteen anesthetized dogs were studied. Myocardial b...

Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) may help to reduce demand for homologous blood but requires extra time and apparatus. A more simple procedure is acute hypervolemic hemodilution (HHD), where hydroxyethylstarch is administered preoperatively without removal of blood. In a prospectively randomized study we compared ANH (preoperatively 15 mL/kg autologous blood removal and replacement with 15...

Autologous blood transfusion is an endorsed blood conservation strategy that has become widely practiced in elective surgical procedures. We review ten years' experience in this arena, along with emerging strategies designed to continue to minimize allogeneic blood exposure but reduce the costs associated with autologous blood procurement. We conclude that point-of-care autologous blood procure...

Autologous blood transfusion (ABT) has been gradually attracting more attention due to the increasingly prominent problem of blood transfusion safety and blood shortage in recent years. With the rapid development of blood conservation techniques, blood component separation technology, blood transfusion medicine and a constant increase in clinical needs, ABT technology has been expanded and inno...

Significant progress has been made in the development of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin solutions for therapeutic use. Religious objection to donor red blood cells in the setting of perioperative blood loss and anemia is one of several potential uses of these products. Here we present a case in which a polymerized hemoglobin solution was used on a compassionate care basis to augment acute normovole...

To the Editor:—In a recent article by Höhn et al., it was concluded that acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) in addition to aprotinin was not beneficial in preventing allogeneic blood transfusions compared to aprotinin alone in cardiac surgery. In this randomized, controlled trial, the patients were hemodiluted to a hematocrit of 28% pre–cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The transfusion threshold...