New device reduces blood loss in surgery

A PIONEERING new surgical blood salvage technology designed by Scottish scientists is set to transform the way major surgery is carried out by reducing blood loss in patients.

Experts at Glasgow’s Strathclyde University have created a device to recover blood which is lost during open-heart and major trauma surgery.

It enables doctors to give the patient their blood back, reducing the volume of donor blood that may be required as well as cutting the risk of problems arising when someone receives donated blood.

The team is now working on a similar device specifically for use in children undergoing open-heart surgery where the challenges of blood conservation are even more critical.

The university believes the device, called, HemoSep, will revolutionise the healthcare sector after gaining the CE mark and receiving national approval in Canada. The move comes following successful clinical trials in Turkey.

Professor Terry Gourlay, who led the development of the technology at the University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, said: “This device will make a significant difference to people’s lives and greatly reduce the cost and risks associated with blood transfusions.

“The technology has distinct advantages over traditional techniques, which are not only costly but technically challenging.

“This is a fantastic example of real collaboration between the University of Strathclyde and the medical device industry to take this device from concept to clinical delivery.”

In the clinical trials, carried out in over 100 open-heart 
surgery operations, the device significantly reduced the need for blood transfusions while 
also preserving the normal clotting mechanisms in the individual’s blood.