The hematological and clinical effects of X-ray contrast medium contaminating autologous blood for transfusion purposes

Little information is available regarding the influence of non-ionic low-osmolar iodinated contrast medium (CM) in stored blood on the quality of blood components. We sought to evaluate the quality of such CM-contaminated blood in terms of the degree of hemolysis, production of microaggregates, level of iodine concentration, and RBC shape, and to identify the pros and cons of autologous blood donation immediately after X-ray examination using CM. In conclusion, contamination by such CM in blood collected around 2h after the completion of X-ray examination appears unlikely to induce deleterious effects on blood components.