AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD-TRANSFUSION AND HEMODILUTION FOR ELECTIVE MAJOR SURGERY - EXPERIENCE IN 132 RADICAL PROSTATECTOMIES

The hospital records of 132 consecutive patients between May 1988 and August 1991 with biopsy-proven local prostate carcinoma, who were scheduled for radical prostatectomy were reviewed. Seventeen patients had positive lymph nodes at pelvic lymphadenectomy and were subsequently given hormone therapy. The mean blood loss in 115 patients undergoing pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical prostatectomy was 1379 ml. Since September 1988 we have operated a program for predeposit autologous blood donation in all patients prior to radical prostatectomy. Sixty patients were entered into this program and 59 received their autologous blood back during operation. Seventy-eight percent of our patients received only autologous blood. The basis of an efficient autologous blood donation program is a simple logistic schedule for all patients (risk and nonrisk), who can choose their dates for autologous blood donation. We hope with this study to encourage other centers to introduce autologous blood donation.