RIDLEY PARK, Pa—Patients can rest easy knowing that while having surgery for total hip and knee replacements they will not lose blood, or need a transfusion from a blood bank. Taylor Hospital’s new Haemonetics® OrthoPat Peri-operative Autotransfusion System minimizes the loss of blood during surgery and reinfuses it back to the patient during and after the procedure.
An autotransfusion, which is the process of receiving your own blood, is done when blood coming from the wound is collected, mixed with an anticoagulant, and stored in a sterile container called a reservoir. From the reservoir, the blood is pumped into the processing chamber of the autotransfusion device, where the blood is separated into its components by centrifugal force.
Blood is continuously collected into the reservoir and processing chamber to concentrate the red blood cells while undesirable components, such as damaged cells, rinsing solution and the anticoagulant, are washed out with saline solution and flushed into a waste bag. The valuable, washed red blood cells are pumped into a reinfusion bag and then transfused back to the patient.
“This is truly a useful resource because patients no longer have to depend on blood banks for transfusions which, in turn, can reduce the risk of infection,” says Stuart Gordon, M.D., co-chief of the Section of Orthopedic Surgery at Taylor Hospital. “When the operation is complete, a smooth silicone drain is inserted into the patient’s wound to continue the process of the autotransfusion. Blood can be reinfused back to the patient for up to six hours after the procedure takes place. The drains are taken out painlessly by the nurses on the orthopaedic floor of the hospital.”
At this time, the only patients who are eligible for this autotransfusion system include those who will be receiving a total knee or hip replacement at Taylor Hospital.
“We have been receiving tremendous patient feedback since we began using the OrthoPat system,” says Christine Mendez, nurse manager of The Orthopedic Center at Taylor Hospital. “Because the blood is taken from the patient and will be cleaned and reinfused, that blood becomes valuable. It is hemoglobin-rich and, in turn, lowers the risk of post-operative temperature and can even help for a faster recovery. Because the blood is not from a blood bank, the high risk of an unfavorable reaction to a stranger’s blood is totally erased.”
Taylor Hospital, which is the only hospital in the Delaware County and Main Line areas to use the OrthoPat system, has been using it for about a year.
Gordon, who was instrumental in introducing the OrthoPat system to Taylor, says, “This is a unique tool that is very innovative. Patients with higher hemoglobin feel stronger and healthier. Patients who feel well perform faster in their rehab and leave feeling more confident about returning home. This system has been proven to decrease the amount of blood transfusions needed from a blood bank and has been a great asset to our orthopaedic unit.”
For more information on orthopaedic services, or for a referral to a Taylor physician who is currently using the OrthoPat system, call 1-877-CK-MOTION (1-877-256-6846) or visit http://ckhshmi.crozer.org.
The Orthopedic Center at Taylor Hospital is part of Crozer-Keystone’s Human Motion Institute, a comprehensive program of musculoskeletal services provided across the health system including orthopaedic/joint care, sports medicine, hand care, outpatient rehabilitation, foot/ankle care, and spine care. Services include surgery, therapy, education, medical management and more.
Taylor Hospital is a member of the Crozer-Keystone Health System. We’re 5 hospitals, 2,600 doctors and nurses, and 7,100 caring people with 1 vision. Crozer-Keystone. Something to feel good about.