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Very low rate of patient‐related adverse events associated with the use of intraoperative cell salvage
Author(s) -
DeAndrade Diana,
Waters Jonathan H.,
Triulzi Darrell J.,
Alarcon Louis,
Wisniewski Mary Kay,
Dyga Robert,
Yazer Mark H.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.13791
Subject(s) - medicine , adverse effect , patient care , emergency medicine , anesthesia , nursing
BACKGROUND The rate of patient‐related clinical adverse events (AEs) associated with the use of intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) was analyzed. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The perfusion service and electronic risk management databases in a nine‐hospital regional health care system were reviewed over an approximately 11‐year period. The number of ICS cases performed during this period and basic patient demographics were also extracted. RESULTS There were 43,198 patients for whom ICS was utilized during the study period. Recovered blood was returned to 33,351 (77.2%) patients. Electronic comments on the ICS procedure were found in 2348 of 33,351 (7.0%) cases. The vast majority of comments (2203/2348, 93.8%) described minor events that did not lead to patient‐related AEs such as the surgeon requested higher than normal suction pressure or that no RBCs were returned. Only 144 of 2348 (6.1%) of the comments described procedural or equipment‐related events or potential AEs. From these comments two potential AEs were identified: the first was a post‐Cesarean section patient who became acutely tachycardic, hypertensive, and dyspneic with rigors. The second was a patient with postpartum hemorrhage who experienced acute dyspnea and hypotension. Both patients were rapidly stabilized and discharged from the hospital shortly thereafter without further complications. It is unclear if these events were caused by ICS reinfusion. No air emboli were reported. The overall rate of patient‐related AEs associated with ICS reinfusion was between 0 and 2 per 33,351 (0%‐0.006%). CONCLUSIONS The use of ICS is safe with a very low rate of patient‐related AEs.