New blood machine donated to West Suffolk Hospital

11 June, 2003

Time:                11am

Date:                Friday 20^th June

Venue:              Theatre reception, West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds

A new blood re-infusion machine, called a cell-separator, has been donated to the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds. The machine works by sucking up the patient’s blood, cleaning it, and then returning it to the patient. Media are invited to attend the presentation of the cell-saver on Friday, 20^th June.

The machine, a Sorin Electa which costs £5,000, is being donated to the West Suffolk Hospital by the East of England Bloodless Surgery Fund, an organisation raising money amongst Jehovah’s Witnesses for machines that assist in conserving blood. It is designed to be used in cases of trauma, where someone has lost a lot of blood due to injury or another cause such as anaemia.

The cell-saver uses a saline solution to ‘wash’ red blood cells, removing debris such as dead cells. The clean blood can then be safely returned into the patient. Because the machine uses the patient’s own blood, people with religious objections to blood transfusions from person to person can still use it.

“We are very grateful to Jehovah’s Witnesses for the kind donation of the cell-salvage machine, which is the first such machine in place at the West Suffolk Hospital,” said Colin Shaw, senior operating department practitioner.  “As well as solving the problem of religious objections to blood transfusions, the cell-separator also reduces the small risk of blood-borne infections being transmitted from donor to patient.”