Apply Now
Get in Touch

Autotransfusion

Autotransfusion solves many of the challenges hospitals face when relying on donated blood, helping reduce costs and shorten time to treatment. With SpecialtyCare working alongside your team, patients can receive their own autotransfusion blood back in as little as three to five minutes—when speed can literally save a life.

Using advanced cell saver autotransfusion technology, our clinicians collect, process, and reinfuse a patient’s blood intraoperatively or postoperatively, supporting safer outcomes and more efficient care delivery.

Get in Touch

Get in Touch
ATS1

ATS should be your primary tool, not a last resort.

The U.S. continues to experience frequent blood shortages. Increased demand from complex therapies such as cancer treatments and organ transplants has significantly outpaced blood donations. These shortages compound existing needs for autotransfusion in patients with rare blood types, multiple antibodies, or religious and cultural preferences that limit the use of allogeneic blood.

Making autotransfusion a frontline strategy—rather than a fallback—helps hospitals protect blood bank resources while ensuring timely access to life‑saving autotransfusion blood.

ATS2 scaled

When to use ATS:

Autotransfusion, commonly referred to as cell saver, is often the preferred blood solution for a broad range of surgical patients. Proper utilization of cell saver autotransfusion helps minimize reliance on blood bank reserves, preserving donated blood for cases where autologous blood recovery is not an option.

ATS is especially valuable in high‑blood‑loss procedures, trauma scenarios, and surgical environments where speed, safety, and blood conservation are critical.

0 %

Anticipated blood loss is greater
than 20% for adults 

0 %

Anticipated blood loss is greater
than 15% for children

0 %

Cases where more than 20% of patients typically require a blood transfusion

Benefits of ATS

Due to its many clinical advantages, autotransfusion safely outperforms donor blood transfusions while significantly reducing overall costs for hospitals, surgery centers, and medical facilities.

REDUCED RISK

Reduced risk of disease transmission, infection, surgical complications, and hospital readmissions

Not Required

No pre screening or compatibility testing required, decreasing delays and reducing the likelihood of post operative donor transfusions

REDUCED MORBIDITY

Lower morbidity rates compared to allogeneic transfusions

REDUCED RECOVERY TIME

Patients’ hospital stays may be reduced by up to three days

REDUCED DELAYS

No need to wait for blood bank units—procedures run on time and patient exposure risk is reduced

In stat situations, obtaining donated blood may take up to 25 minutes.

No LOss OF FUNCTION

ATS red blood cells remain fresh for up to eight hours after processing, with no loss of functionality in autotransfusion blood

Reduced Blood Costs:

The hospital cost of a traditional allogeneic blood transfusion is at least three times higher than autologous blood recovery when accounting for storage, transport, and administrative expenses. The 2023 U.S. average cost of allogeneic red blood cells was approximately $1,440 per unit (250 mL)—not including downstream costs related to transfusion associated risks. By expanding autotransfusion utilization, hospitals can significantly lower transfusion related expenses while improving patient safety.

By The Numbers

Patients Annually
K+
Hospitals

A Standard of Excellence

A high‑quality autotransfusion partner goes beyond equipment management. SpecialtyCare establishes measurable benchmarks by comparing your outcomes against peer facilities—raising standards where others cut corners.

We analyze and interpret your data to deliver comprehensive program reports, providing clear insight into both clinical and financial performance.

We ensure every facility maintains robust policies, procedures, quality monitoring programs, and up‑to‑date regulatory compliance for effective autotransfusion program management.

Our ATS clinical specialists are highly skilled communicators, trained to perform under pressure and integrate seamlessly into demanding OR environments.

We provide annual competency assessments and ongoing education through SpecialtyCare University, preparing clinicians for the evolving needs of cell saver autotransfusion and advanced surgical care.

This focus on excellence supports not only superior clinical outcomes but also long‑term program sustainability—including coverage for specialized autotransfusion jobs.

Autotransfusion Terms Explained

What is Autotransfusion?

Autotransfusion is a procedure that involves collecting a patient’s own blood during surgery or after trauma, processing it to remove impurities like clots, and then returning it to the patient. This method minimizes the need for blood from donors, which can reduce the risk of immune reactions, infections, or other complications that may arise with donated blood. Autotransfusion is commonly used in surgeries where significant blood loss is expected, such as orthopedic or cardiac procedures, or in trauma situations like accidents. The technique ensures that the patient receives a blood supply that is perfectly compatible with their body, making it a safer alternative to allogeneic (donor) blood transfusions. Additionally, it can help conserve blood resources and reduce dependence on blood banks.

The US often experiences blood shortages. Increased demand from a growing number of complex therapies, such as cancer treatments and organ transplants, has the increased need for blood – far outpacing the number of donations. This is in addition to usual needs and requests for Autotransfusions such as:

Patients with rare blood groups and multiple antibodies

Honoring Religious and cultural beliefs/wishes

However, autotransfusion (or cell saver) is very often the preferred blood solution for a much larger population of patients. And, proper use of ATS limits the use of blood bank reserves, saving them for more appropriate procedures. 

Best-in-class efficiency solutions

We put the right procedures, systems, and people in place to minimize downtime and keep your operating rooms running at peak performance.

hospital

Hospitals

  • Solve unique OR challenges related to blood management and staffing
  • Prevent overlooked issues from becoming major financial losses
  • Avoid delays that disrupt OR schedules and reduce revenue
mask mega

Surgeons

  • Partner with experienced Autotransfusionists you can trust
  • Add a layer of protection that supports lower infection rates and safer surgeries
  • Keep procedures on time with reliable access to autotransfusion blood

WANT TO FIND OUT HOW SPECIALTYCARE’S Autotransfusion SERVICES CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR OPERATING ROOM?

Are you curious as to how a SpecialtyCare Autotransfusion Service can potentially make your operating room more efficient, safer for the patient, and staffed with a team that is low in turnover and high in clinical training?

800.633.3445

Contact Us

Contact Us

Our Commitment
to Research
and Training

The OR setting is demanding; therefore, we ensure our ATS clinical specialists possess excellent communication skills. They are committed, dependable and adaptable armed with keen attention to detail to manage stressful situations and ensure they are valuable in every surgical case.

We provide annual clinical competency testing and ongoing education through SpecialtyCare University, which includes a fully equipped OR for training. We develop expertise beyond required certifications and provide superior quality care so that surgical teams can be certain they always have the best partner for clinical excellence. This is our world, and we are wholly focused on ATS. As the industry changes, we educate and adapt.

Performance tracking and use of custom analyses to drive improvement.

A good autotransfusion service partner will determine benchmarks from specific data that compares other hospitals’ results against your own. SpecialtyCare interprets your data to provide a comprehensive report that offers a complete view of your program. These reports are easily accessible to help you target and improve specific program elements of care and internal processes. 

In addition to having point of use knowledge, each facility must have policies and procedures, a quality monitoring program, and up-to-date regulatory knowledge in order to safely and effectively manage an autotransfusion program. We ensure you have this standard of excellence in place with systems for robust data capture, reporting, and analysis that enable tracking and monitoring of clinical and financial improvement.