Cell saver programme
Our cell saver programme recovers the blood a patient may lose during an operation and safely returns it to their body. Our expert haematology team are highly experienced at carrying out this innovative procedure in our first-class operating theatres.
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What is it for?
Returning blood lost in surgery to a patient
Treatment overview
Our cell saver programme involves the use of a technique called cell salvage. This collects a patient’s blood that may be lost during an operation.
A special machine then washes the collected blood and extracts red blood cells from it. The red blood cells are returned back to your body through a small tube into a vein.
Blood that is lost during an operation is collected by special technology called a cell salvage machine. The machine separates the different parts of the blood and collects just the red blood cells. The red blood cells are then given back to you during or just after your operation.
If you are interested in opting for London Haematology’s cell saver programme as part of your treatment, you should discuss your options with your surgeon or anaesthetist.
FAQ's
The use of cell salvage can the reduce the need for a transfusion of blood from a donor. In the UK, risks associated with receiving blood from a donor are low. However, there is still a very small chance of infection being passed on.
Donor blood is also stored before transfusion. This can affect its properties, for example, stored blood does not carry oxygen well.
Using the cell saver programme eliminates both of these issues. Overall, cell salvage reduces the use of blood from a blood bank.
This means more donated blood is available to other people. This is important because there is a national shortage of blood in the UK.
You might want to use the cell saver programme because:
• You do not wish to receive blood from a blood donor
• You are expected to lose a lot of blood during your operation and you want to reduce the amount of donated blood you receive
• You have a rare blood group or antibodies
• You are anaemic or have increased risk factors for bleeding
If you are interested in the cell saver programme, please speak to your consultant at London Haematology about it. They will then will discuss your suitability for the procedure and all your options.
Currently, we do not offer our cell saver programme to people living with cancer. This is because of the risk of cancer cells being returned to a patient’s body during the cell salvage procedure.
Some patients may also not be suitable for cell salvage because their operation will not result in them losing enough blood.
Cell salvage is also not recommended for certain types of operations, including some bowel surgery.