New Device Conserves Blood During Surgery

A novel vacuum device effectively automates the manual activity of surgical sponge-blood recovery for intraoperative auto transfusion (IAT).

The ProCell Surgical (Canton, MA, USA) ProCell is a sterile, compact and disposable medical device that comes fully assembled and includes just three components. To operate ProCell, up to five surgical sponges are placed inside the open basket and the lid is placed back in place. As OR vacuum suction tubing is connected, the lid is automatically deployed in a downward direction, which extracts the blood from the sponges. The collected blood is then sent back to the IAT equipment for processing by suctioning the blood from the reservoir via cannula.


The recovered blood is then reinfused from the IAT via its own suction tubing into the patient during that same surgical procedure. ProCell does not filter or otherwise process the blood collected in any way, and can be used up to 50 times during a single surgical case, processing up to 20 12” X 12” surgical sponges; it cannot be reprocessed for reuse. In addition to automating IAT and reducing the need for blood transfusions, ProCell also reduces potential occupational health hazards associated with hand-wringing, such as operator hand fatigue and messy blood splatter on surgical gloves and the OR area.

“ProCell Surgical's sponge blood recovery system brings the first automated innovation for sponge-blood recovery directly to the operating room table,” said co-inventor Robert Krensky, MD, CEO of ProCell Surgical. “It is easy to operate and can be used repeatedly during its single case use. ProCell essentially closes the technology gap that existed during this important preliminary phase of IAT.”

Unlike IAT, using transfused blood products beyond a level deemed medically necessary can increase complication rates, intensive care unit (ICU) stays, and overall length of hospitalization. Overuse can also substantially increase the cost of care, since the cost of a single unit of red blood cells (RBCs) can reach as high as USD 1,100 (when administration and supply costs are included).

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