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e.g. saline, and then reinfused into the patient after the operation.
If bleeding occurs during an operation, the patient will lose
“diluted” blood.
❖ Autotransfusion/cell salvage (in the following referred to as autotransfusion/CS)
is performed in two ways, either intraoperatively
or postoperatively. “Shed” blood from patients is salvaged
during or after the operation by use of special equipment,
whereupon the blood is reinfused into the patient in either an
unchanged (“unwashed”) or a processed (“washed”) form.
❖ Preoperative autologous donation (in the following referred to
as PAD) is the name of a procedure where a certain number of
units of the patient’s blood is predonated during the weeks prior
to the operation so that the patient can be transfused with his
own blood in connection with the operative intervention.
Background and key problem
The overall aim of the ISPOT-project was to provide an input into
the planning processes within the field of blood transfusion through
a broad assessment of selected technologies for the minimization of
conventional blood transfusion. The project particularly centred on
the reduction of donor blood requirements. The specific objectives
of the project were as follows:
❖ To determine, through meta-analyses and reviews, the best
available evidence of the clinical effectiveness, risks and cost-effectiveness
of the selected technologies.
❖ By means of surveys and interviews, to describe the use of the
technologies in the participating countries and to examine national
and international differences in use (practice variation).
The participating countries had different incentives to join the IS-
POT-project. Their reasons were closely connected with the structure,
organisation, tradition and culture of the health services of the
individual countries, i.e. factors which in turn are of considerable
importance to the organisation of the transfusion service of the individual
country and its established transfusion practice. This also
applies to Denmark.
The Danish transfusion service is characterised by the fact that it
has evolved from a “grass roots” background with local donor
corps. It has always commanded the Danish people’s full confidence