34th Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings

Objectives:

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

Methods:

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

Results:

Of the 177 patients planned for perioperative CSD use, 103 underwent autotransfusion during emergency and elective procedures, directly affecting anaemia treatment outcomes. Blood was collected by swab washing and direct suction techniques. The average transfusion volume was 14.18 mL/kg, increasing the PCV by 10.36% in 48% of the cases. HBPs were used in 14% of patients. The autotransfusion reaction rate was 0.97%, including the first case of possible delayed non-immunologic haemolytic reaction. Autotransfusion was not performed in 74 patients who had high preoperative PCV because the anticipated intraoperative blood loss was low or the processed blood had a low PCV.

Conclusions:

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