ORLANDO – Cell salvage may help reduce the need for allogeneic blood transfusion in patients undergoing abdominal myomectomy, according to findings from a retrospective cohort study.
Of 138 women who underwent abdominal myomectomy, 52 had no cell salvage and 86 had cell salvage ordered. Of those who had cell salvage ordered, 60 had salvage fully set up and 26 had salvage on standby; 46 of the 60 with full set-up had autologous blood returned, and of those, 14 required subsequent allogeneic transfusion of more than 20 U of blood, Julian A. Gingold, MD, reported at the annual scientific meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons.
Sharon Worcester/MDedge News
Dr. Julian Gingold
Notable differences between those who did and those who did not have cell salvage ordered included the number of patients with fibroids weighing more than 250 g (52% vs. 13%) and with five or more total fibroids (83% vs. 56%), he said.
“And interestingly, reproductive surgeons were less likely (than general surgeons) to order cell salvage,” he said.
Surgery was performed by a reproductive surgeon in 25% of cases in the cell salvage group vs. in 67% of cases in the non–cell salvage group.
The finding of comparable allogeneic transfusion requirement between the two groups despite differences in blood loss and “arguably less complex surgeries [in those] without cell salvage” was striking, Dr. Gingold said.