Fifty-six patients undergoing hip or knee replacements were randomized to receive autologous drain-blood transfusion or homologous blood transfusion at postoperative need. A reinfusion of 65% of the postoperative drainage blood loss was achieved. The number of homologous blood transfusions fell concomitantly from 2.3 to 0.6 after hip replacement and from 3.3 to 0.3 after knee replacement. No signs of activation of the complement or coagulation systems were found.
