[Autologous blood donation and transfusion in cardiosurgical high risk patients (author's transl)].

In an unselected group of patients undergoing a wide variety of cardiovascular operations, the possibilities of long-term preoperative autologous blood collection combined with oxygenator hemodilution were examined. The mean number of preoperative donations was 2.5 units of blood. It was 50 p.c. higher in men than in women. One third of the men, but no female patient, collected 4-5 units of autologous blood, thus equalling the mean calculated blood requirements. Short- or long-term disavantages of the donations were not seen. --The total amount of homologous blood required could be diminished by 50 p.c., in atrial septal defects even by 70 p.c. The percentage of patients without homologous blood increased from 3 to 25 p.c. of the total material, but in atrial septal defects from 13 to 67. Further improvements of these values may be expected from an earlier entry into the program of autologous donations and, correspondingly, by an earlier iron substitution. Only thus, without special methods of storage, roughly calculated one half of all cardiovascular surgical patients may come through without homologous blood. In view of the risks of homologous blood transfusion, already now no atrial septal defect and, with limitations, no valve replacement should come to surgery without adequate autologous blood collection.