Intraoperative cell salvage survey

The UK Cell Salvage Action Group first carried out a survey of intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) activity in 2007, which was repeated in 2010 and 2014.

In 2022, a UK-wide survey of ICS practice in (pre-pandemic) 2019 was conducted. 92 responses were received, accounting for ICS activity in 114 hospitals.

The survey enquired about the following key areas:

• Delivery of a cell salvage service
• Use of ICS in surgical specialties, and reinfusion volumes
• Staff involved with ICS delivery, and training
• Incident reporting and governance
• Quality, safety and record keeping

The full results can be found in the 2022 ICS survey report (PDF 606KB).

The article Intraoperative cell salvage: a survey of UK practice, written about the survey, was published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia in March 2024.