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Elora Thorpe RN · #2 (**permalink**) 04-19-2004, 02:56 PM

Todd: We have a standard protocol that we use for high risk blood loss in pregnancy that we developed with Dr. Waters if you would like it. As Mary Ann said it does not specifically cover ectopic pregnancy but cellsaver use in pregnancy in general. The reason it is not indicated in pregnancy is not because of the problems associated with amniotic fluid embolus, etc but because the company has never pursued the indication. The thought of amniotic fluid embolus is a theory and in the 360 or so articles in the literature on cell salvage in delivery this has never occurred. When I talked with Dr. Waters he said that the studies would never be done because it would take about 1 million patients to do the study in order to have a significant result. If you add a leukocyte depletion filter to your infusion then the risks of amniotic fluid embolus are almost nil. Not any greater than the exposure to amniotic fluid in a regular pregnancy.
Elora Thorpe RN