OBJECTIVETo observe the effectiveness of using cell saver (CS) during surgery on blood sparing and its impact on patient's hematology and coagulation function.

METHODSOne-hundred and thirty-eight patients undergoing elective surgery were recruited for intraoperative blood salvage using CS. Blood routine, blood chemistry and coagulation function were measured before surgery, after infusion of salvaged blood and postoperative day 1, respectively.

RESULTSIn total, 112,056 ml of packed red blood cells were collected, with a mean value of 812 ml per patient. The percentage of autologous blood transfusion volume to the total blood transfusion volume was from 48% to 89%. Allogenic blood transfusion rate was from 5% to 100%. Compared with the values before surgery, the hemoglobin concentration, platelet count, plasma total protein and fibrinogen concentration decreased significantly after the transfusion of salvaged blood and the first postoperative day (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), while the prothrombin time was significantly prolonged (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe use of CS during surgery can, to a certain extent, reduce the requirement of allogenic blood. However, reinfusion of large amount of salvaged blood may affect coagulation function.