The process of collecting a patient's own blood during surgery and reinfusing it back into their body, reducing the need for donated blood.
From auto- (self) + transfusion (from Latin transfundere, to pour across). Medical terminology combining self-donation with the blood transfer process.
This medical innovation solved a real problem before blood banking was reliable—surgeons realized a patient's own blood was the safest option, and modern autotransfusion can recover and reinfuse several liters during major surgery.
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