Intraoperative blood salvage in vascular surgery – worth the effort?

Intraoperative autologous transfusions have been used for many years to avoid transmission of infections, especially in vascular surgery, where blood usage is considerable. Several autotransfusion devices exist, but these devices are often associated with negative outcomes such as cost, contamination, and removal of essential blood components (e.g. platelets). Preoperative autologous blood donation is another blood preservation method to avoid possible transfusion-related infections. Several vascular surgery groups have compared the use of these techniques, and their results are discussed in this review. Cell saver techniques often do not prevent the need for transfusions, nor are they very cost-effective; therefore, their use should be considered on a case-by-case basis.