Scientific Committee, Hong Kong Association of Blood Transfusion and Haematology Drafted by the Acute Haemodilution Working Group. Eudora Chow1 (Convenor), H.W. Liu2, Gregory Cheng3, Raymond Chu4, Tony Yan5
2.000 | Acute Normovolaemic Haemodilution (ANH) |
2.100 | Introduction |
2.110 | ANH is designed to eliminate or reduce allogeneic transfusion. It entails the withdrawal of blood from a patient, either immediately before or shortly after induction of anaesthesia, and concomitant volume replacement by crystalloid and/or colloid to maintain normovolaemia. The blood removed is reinfused as indicated by intraoperative blood loss or at the conclusion of surgery. |
2.120 | The safety of ANH depends on the significant reserve normally available in the oxygen delivery system. Patients who are fit and not anaemic can have about one quarter of their blood volume withdrawn (not exceeding 20 ml/kg) if normovolaemia is maintained. |
2.130 | The benefits of ANH include
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2.140 | In contrast to preoperative blood deposit, ANH is simpler, less expensive and available to patients undergoing surgery at short notice. |
2.200 | Indication |
ANH is suitable for
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2.300 | Patient's Eligibility The physician performing the procedure, normally the attending anaesthetist, should determine the patient's suitability to undergo ANH. Patient should have near normal oxygen transport capacity, ideally he/she should be free from cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebrovascular diseases and has haemoglobin level of > 11 g/dl. |
2.400 | Exclusion Criteria The technique is contraindicated when compensatory mechanism, an increase in cardiac output, is neither possible nor desirable. Conditions include:
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21.500 | Consent Patient should give valid consent. It is important to explain the procedure, its associated merits, risks and the possibility of homologous transfusion. |
2.600 | Procedure |
2.610 | Protection against contamination Blood should be withdrawn through an arterial or venous catheter under strict aseptic technique to provide maximum assurance of a sterile product. |
2.620 | Volume withdrawn | ||
1.621 | The amount of blood that can be withdrawn depends on many factors. It is primarily limited by a sufficient oxygen supply to the tissues, particularly to the heart. The age, medical fitness, preoperative Hct, intended post-haemodilution Hct and the kind of surgery must be considered. | ||
1.622 | The Gross1 formula helps to estimate the possible volume to be withdrawn.
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2.630 | Volume replacement It is crucial to maintain normovolaemia throughout the procedure. Crystalloid and/or colloid should be given simultaneously as blood is withdrawn. |
2.640 | Monitoring There must be continual monitoring of haemodynamic variables throughout the procedure. This provides an objective assessment on how much blood can safely be removed. |
2.650 | Blood collection The collection of blood should be directly supervised by the attending anaesthetist. Refer to appendix. |
2.700 | Labelling and Storage |
2.710 | Autologous blood must bear an easily recognisable label with the message "For Autologous Use Only" and contains information to enable correct donor identification. The patient's name, identification number, date and time of collection, sequential number (if more than one unit is removed), and the name and signature of the phlebotomist should be included. The label should have a suitable adhesive for regrigerated storage. |
2.720 | Keep the blood in the same operating room as the patient and maintain at room temperature to preserve platelet function. If it is anticipated that more than 6 hours will elapse before transfusion will take place, the blood should be refrigerated, ideally in a blood bank type refrigerator at 4 ± 2°C. |
2.800 | Blood Administration and Disposal |
2.810 | The anaesthetist shall be responsible for determining transfusion need. It is recommended to return the blood in reverse order so that the first unit with the highest haemocrit and platelets is administered last. |
2.820 | Blood kept at room temperature must be reinfused within 6 hours of collection. All unused blood after 24 hours must be properly discarded and documented. |
2.900 | Documentation |
2.910 | A written protocol describing the policies and procedure of ANH should be approved by the transfusion committee or its equivalent. The program should be supervised by a nominated staff whose responsibility should include compliance with procedure and their periodic review. |
2.920 | The anaesthetist must note on the anaesthesia record the amount of blood withdrawn, the amount and type of fluid infused, the amount of blood returned, along with the patient's vital signs. |
Comments
We welcome comment to assist the review process. All
correspondence regarding the guidelines should be addressed to: Scientific
Committee, The Hong Kong Association of Blood Transfusion and Haematology. c/o
Dr. HW Liu, 15 King's Park Rise, Yaumatei, KLN.
References
1Laboratory Haematologist, UCH
2Consultant Haematologist, HKRCBTS
3Senior
Lecturer, Dept of Medicine, CUHK.
4Consultant
Haematologist, PYNEH
5SMT, Service Development
and Customer Relation, HKRCBTS