34th Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings

Objectives:

A Cell Saver Device (CSD) collects and processes intraoperative blood loss for reinfusion. It serves an alternative to homologous blood products (HBPs) when managing surgical hemorrhage. This retrospective study presents the first veterinary evaluation of the CSD's utility, effectiveness, and safety in dogs and cats.

Methods:

Perioperative data was reviewed for all patients qualified for CSD use, covering patient profile, surgery type and urgency, bloodwork, bleeding severity, and blood collection method. In cases where CSD was used, transfusion volume, timing, additional blood products, PCV variations, effects on anemia levels, mortality, and transfusion reactions were analyzed. Reasons for not performing autotransfusion were also identified.

Results:

Out of 177 cases planned for the perioperative use of the CSD, 103 underwent autotransfusion, including both emergency and elective procedures, directly influencing anemia treatment outcomes. Blood was collected by swab washing and direct suction techniques. The average transfusion volume was 14.18 ml/kg, increasing PCV by 10.36% in 48% of cases. HBPs were used in 14% of patients. The autotransfusion reaction rate was 0.97%, including the first case of possible delayed non-immunologic hemolytic reaction. Autotransfusion was not performed in 74 patients with high preoperative PCV due to less than anticipated intraoperative blood loss or low PCV of processed blood.

Conclusions:

CSD enables autotransfusion following bloodloss for a broad range of surgeries reducing reliance on external HBPs sources and preventing their waste when bleeding is less severe than expected. It is readily available for both anticipated and unexpected hemorrhages, with minimal complications, making it applicable across diverse surgical scenarios.