The Yale journal of biology and medicine
-
The safety of the blood supply, an issue in the 1970s and 1980s, created an increased need to screen the blood supply for HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus infections. The possibility exists that other contamination could again affect the blood supply. This has resulted in the increased use of strategies to minimize the transfusion of allogeneic blood, such as autologous blood predeposit for elective surgical procedures. ⋯ The study suggests that autologous predeposit is not indicated for hysterectomies because of the low likelihood of transfusion. Even when a transfusion is likely according to the surgical blood order schedule, predonation is greater than actual use. Use of predonation hemoglobin could facilitate better efficiency of use for procedures where use is anticipated, thereby significantly reducing a wastage near 50 percent.