Allogeneic versus autologous blood during abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery

To determine if cell-salvaged autologous blood can serve as an alternative to homologous blood, and to examine the incidence of infected complications and length of postoperative stay. A prospective randomised study comprising autologous and homologous blood transfusions in patients undergoing elective infrarenal abdominal aortic surgery. Fifty patients undergoing AAA surgery were prospectively randomised to homologous blood ( n=27), or autologous blood transfusion ( n=23), using a cell salvage autotransfusion device. The haemoglobin at the time of hospital discharge was similar for both groups (11.0 vs. 10.8 g/dl) with no difference in perioperative mortality. The length of stay was reduced in those patients who received autologous blood (9 days vs. 12 days, p