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Cell Salvage Product Composition — FRCA Final MCQ

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ModerateAnaesthetic Equipment & SafetyCell Salvage Product CompositionFRCA Final

A 70-year-old man (ASA III) undergoes an elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Cell salvage is used. The salvaged blood is washed and reinfused. What key component is ABSENT from cell-salvaged blood?

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Correct answer: A — Platelets and clotting factors

Cell salvage collects shed blood, washes it with saline, centrifuges it, and returns concentrated red blood cells. The washing process removes: plasma proteins, clotting factors, platelets, free haemoglobin, white blood cells, debris, and anticoagulant. The reinfused product has a haematocrit of approximately 50-80% but contains NO functional platelets or coagulation factors. Therefore, patients receiving large volumes of cell-salvaged blood will develop a dilutional coagulopathy and may require FFP, cryoprecipitate, and platelet transfusion guided by point-of-care coagulation testing.

Reference: Association of Anaesthetists – 2018 – Cell salvage guidelines; NICE – 2015 – NG24 Blood transfusion