Abstract
From the 8th of September 1987 to the 31st of July 1988 all patients scheduled for major elective orthopaedic surgery were systematically offered the facility of pre-deposit autologous blood storage. Of 251 patients, 204 (81%) were eligible to pre-donate, and of these only 9 declined to do so. 72% of the participants required only autologous blood at operation, 23% required some additional homologous blood. During the study period, autologous blood accounted for 10% of all blood transfused in the district, making a significant contribution to the local blood supply.