RESUMEN
We evaluated the effectiveness, ease of use and safety of five machines for blood salvage during coronary artery surgery. All were equally effective in concentrating red cells. We measured haemoglobin, packed cell volume, free haemoglobin, white cells, neutrophil elastase, platelets, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), prothrombin activation peptide F1.2, fibrin degradation product (d-dimers), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and heparin in wound blood, in washed cell suspensions and in a unit of bank blood prepared for each patient. All machines were equally safe and easy to use and were equally effective in removing heparin and the physiological components measured. There were no adverse effects on patients. Clotting factors are severely depleted both in salvaged blood, even before washing, and in bank blood. Cell savers are a valuable adjunct to coronary artery surgery, but careful monitoring of coagulation is required when the volumes of either bank blood or salvaged blood are large.