TY - JOUR
T1 - Indications and organisational methods for autologous blood transfusion procedures in Italy
T2 - Results of a national survey
AU - Catalano, Liviana
AU - Campolongo, Alessandra
AU - Caponera, Maurizio
AU - Berzuini, Alessandra
AU - Bontadini, Andrea
AU - Furlò, Giuseppe
AU - Pasqualetti, Patrizio
AU - Liumbruno, Giancarlo M.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Introduction. Pre-operative donation of autologous blood is a practice that is now being abandoned. Alternative methods of transfusing autologous blood, other than predeposited blood, do however play a role in limiting the need for transfusion of allogeneic blood. This survey of autologous blood transfusion practices, promoted by the Italian Society of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology more than 2 years after the publication of national recommendations on the subject, was intended to acquire information on the indications for predeposit in Italy and on some organisational aspects of the alternative techniques of autotransfusion.Materials and methods. A structured questionnaire consisting of 22 questions on the indications and organisational methods of autologous blood transfusion was made available on a web platform from 15 January to 15 March, 2013. The 232 Transfusion Services in Italy were invited by Email to complete the online survey.Results. Of the 232 transfusion structures contacted, 160 (69%) responded to the survey, with the response rate decreasing from the North towards the South and the Islands. The use of predeposit has decreased considerably in Italy and about 50% of the units collected are discarded because of lack of use. Alternative techniques (acute isovolaemic haemodilution and peri-operative blood salvage) are used at different frequencies across the country.Discussion. The data collected in this survey can be considered representative of national practice; they show that the already very limited indications for predeposit autologous blood transfusion must be adhered to even more scrupulously, also to avoid the notable waste of resources due to unused units. Users of alternative autotransfusion techniques must be involved in order to gain a full picture of the degree of use of such techniques; multidisciplinary agreement on the indications for their use is essential in order for these indications to have an effective role in "patient blood management" programmes.
AB - Introduction. Pre-operative donation of autologous blood is a practice that is now being abandoned. Alternative methods of transfusing autologous blood, other than predeposited blood, do however play a role in limiting the need for transfusion of allogeneic blood. This survey of autologous blood transfusion practices, promoted by the Italian Society of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology more than 2 years after the publication of national recommendations on the subject, was intended to acquire information on the indications for predeposit in Italy and on some organisational aspects of the alternative techniques of autotransfusion.Materials and methods. A structured questionnaire consisting of 22 questions on the indications and organisational methods of autologous blood transfusion was made available on a web platform from 15 January to 15 March, 2013. The 232 Transfusion Services in Italy were invited by Email to complete the online survey.Results. Of the 232 transfusion structures contacted, 160 (69%) responded to the survey, with the response rate decreasing from the North towards the South and the Islands. The use of predeposit has decreased considerably in Italy and about 50% of the units collected are discarded because of lack of use. Alternative techniques (acute isovolaemic haemodilution and peri-operative blood salvage) are used at different frequencies across the country.Discussion. The data collected in this survey can be considered representative of national practice; they show that the already very limited indications for predeposit autologous blood transfusion must be adhered to even more scrupulously, also to avoid the notable waste of resources due to unused units. Users of alternative autotransfusion techniques must be involved in order to gain a full picture of the degree of use of such techniques; multidisciplinary agreement on the indications for their use is essential in order for these indications to have an effective role in "patient blood management" programmes.
KW - Acute normovolaemic haemodilution
KW - Intra-operative blood salvage
KW - Patient blood management
KW - Post-operative blood salvage
KW - Pre-operative autologous donation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84908667773&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84908667773&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2450/2014.0295-13
DO - 10.2450/2014.0295-13
M3 - Article
C2 - 25350961
AN - SCOPUS:84908667773
VL - 12
SP - 497
EP - 508
JO - Blood Transfusion
JF - Blood Transfusion
SN - 1723-2007
IS - 4
ER -