[Deep freezing of blood with special reference to autologous blood donation]

Abstract

The preoperative collection of a patient's blood for later retransfusion during operation is the only way to avoid the risks of immunization and infection by homologous blood. If larger volumes of blood are needed the storage of the red cells by deep freezing techniques (liquid Nitrogen) ist very helpful. To get such a deposit of autologous blood, especially from patients with rare antigens or antibodies against public antigens, depends upon some criterias. The patient must be in sufficiently good condition for undergoing several phlebotomies in shorter intervals than a normal donor. The equipment of freezing and thawing may be more expensive and finally autologous transfusion programmes require more planning and time than ordinary blood donation. Therefore the combination of such a programme with preservation by freezing will be reserved for certain centres, even in the near future.