Autohemotransfusion in preventing postoperative lung complications

T HE administration of bIood as a therapeutic agent is a very oId procedure, and in primary anemic cases where the repIacement of substance pIays the main roIe, is, of course, we11 known. The appIication we have in mind is the withdrawa of a smaI1 amount of bIood from the patient’s vein and reinjection directIy into the body. In 1898, Grafstrom and EIfstroml appIied autotransfusion in a case of pneumonia. Ten years Iater BaIfour2 used this method as a specific therapy. AI1 authors empIoyed it pureIy empiricaIIy without expIanation of its action. In 1913 autohemotherapy was advocated by Spiethoff3 in dermatoIogy and considered an unspecific protein therapy. Autohemotherapy has since been used extensiveIy in a variety of diseases and conditions. The resuIts were encouraging in postoperative pneumonia, furuncuIosis, bronchitis, eczemas and urticaria. A good resuIt in postoperative Iung compIications is manifested by the dechne of temperature within twenty-four to forty-eight hours after administration and disappearance of symptoms. There are five different methods of appIication : I. Intramuscular injection of defibrinated bIood; 20 C.C. of bIood is dehbrinated by shaking in a flask with gIassbeads and injected immediately. 2. IntramuscuIar injection of 16 C.C. of fresh bIood mixed with 4 C.C. of distiIIed water. 3. IntramuscuIar injection of unaItered fresh bIood. YORK