Autotransfusion

Autotransfusion (from the Greek autos-self, Latin trans-across and fundo-to pour), transfusion of a patient's own blood. The simplest method of A. is transfusion of blood from the periphery (from the patient's extremities) 54 5 to internal, life-important organs. For example, before amputation of a lower extremity, the limb is kept in an elevated position for some time or (in the absence of inflammatory phenomena) before the operation, blood is squeezed from the extremity by tight bandaging (widely used in amputations due to injuries). In internal hemorrhages (ectopic pregnancy, wounds and ruptures of parenchymal organs of the abdominal cavity - liver, spleen and pancreas, organs of the thoracic cavity - lungs and heart), a modification is used which is essentially one of the types of blood transfusion (see). The method consists in that, after locating the bleeding site and stopping the hemorrhage, the liquid, spilled blood is collected from the cavity with spoons or gauze sponges and squeezed into a vessel with a 10% solution of Natrii citrici, which is added in such a way that it constitutes up to 0.4% of the collected blood. The collected blood is filtered through several layers of gauze, diluted in the desired proportion with a saline solution, and injected into the vein of the elbow bend or, in gynecological operations, into one of the veins of the broad ligament of the uterus. A contraindication is simultaneous injury to the intestine due to the possibility of infection. For the same reason, it is not recommended to inject blood that has been in the abdominal cavity for too long (more than a day), since in such cases it is possible for bacteria or their toxins to seep through the intestinal walls and infect the blood. Autotransfusion at present does not have wide application.