Abstract
Conservation and autotransfusion of autologous blood have been proposed as a means to decrease the homologous blood requirements of cardiac surgery. Use of the Haemonetics Cell Saver System to salvage blood shed in the sterile surgical field resulted in a net saving of 105 ± 88.7 ml of packed red cells in 20 patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. This system is not a cost-effective way to save blood or decrease homologous blood requirements during routine cardiac operations.
