Background And Objectives: The study was designed to evaluate whether volume replacement following blood donation can prevent arterial hypotension in autologous blood donors with cardiovascular disease.
Materials And Methods: One hundred nineteen autologous blood donors with known cardiovascular disease were randomly allocated to receive, following withdrawal of 500 ml of blood, either no infusion (control group) or a 25 ml/min intravenous infusion of either 1,500 ml of lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) or 500 ml of 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES). Starting before phlebotomy, arterial blood pressure was measured oscillometrically every 5 min until 90 min after donation.
Background: Autologous blood donation before elective cardiac surgery has become a standard of care at many institutions. However, the safety of autologous blood donations by patients with cardiac disease is subject to controversy.
Case Reports: Two life-threatening cardiac arrests and one fatal myocardial infarction that occurred in three patients who were scheduled to donate blood for autologous use in elective cardiac surgery are reported.