Stago UK is introducing a unique autotransfusion system, able to preserve functional platelets as well as red blood cells. It offers a safer alternative to scarce, risky and expensive blood transfusion products. Stago UK has partnered with i-SEP, one of France’s most innovative MedTech companies, to distribute its novel ‘same’ system.
“A decreasing platelet count is often the critical factor for patients suffering a major bleed,” explained Haseena Halai, UK business development manager, Stago Bleeding Management Solutions. “The arrival of ‘same’ provides an alternative to risky and costly allogeneic blood product transfusions and helps to reduce pressure on blood product supply.”
Existing cell salvage technologies already return blood to the patient with their own red blood cells, but the same device goes one step further. “It is the only Intraoperative cell salvage device able to wash and recover both red blood cells and platelets, so that patients can safely receive back their own platelets rather than having to be transfused,” Haseena adds.
The new autotransfusion system has been installed in Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital and already incorporated into surgical protocols in the cardiac theatre.
Ms Halai pointed to a recent European multicentre, prospective study in the journal Anaesthesiology, which evaluated the benefits for patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery. The authors reported that the i-SEP system retrieved more than 52% of the patients’ platelets, of which 84% were fully functional. It also retrieved 85% of red blood cells (RBCs).
As Haseena explains: “Being able to save and return such a high percentage of a patient’s own red blood cells and platelets improves their chance of recovery without any side effects from transfusions.” It is widely recognised that approximately 60% of allogenic blood transfusions are inappropriate and can result in severe transfusion-related complications.
While existing autotransfusion devices theoretically remove platelets from salvaged blood, other studies show small amounts are left in the treated blood but not evaluated in terms of function and levels of activation. In contrast, the 2023 i-SEP study found that the new auto-filtration system by same is capable of a ‘6- to 7-fold higher platelet yield’ when compared to centrifugation-based devices.
The same automated system requires minimal training. It takes only two minutes to install and is easier to implement than existing manual filtration devices. The i-SEP system was launched in 2015 to specialise in intraoperative cell salvage (IOCS) and patient blood management (PBM) and has already been adopted at cardiac centres across mainland Europe.
For further information, please visit the ‘same’ page on the Stago website or email [email protected].