Autotransfusion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The method of reintroducing blood from an individual back into their body after prior collection helps to ensure adequate blood supply during treatment
2. The practice of collecting and reinfusing a patient's own blood can enhance recovery and reduce the need for donor blood during surgical procedures
3. A medical technique where blood drawn from a patient is returned to their circulation, promoting safety and minimizing transfusion reactions

Etymology: Autotransfusion is a plain compound: "auto-" from Greek "autos", meaning "self", joined to "transfusion", the older English word for moving liquid from one vessel into another, here meaning blood from one person into the body of the same person. The result describes a patient receiving back their own blood rather than a donor's. The idea is literal in the most direct sense. "Transfusion" comes from Latin "transfundere", "to pour across" or "pour from one vessel into another," so the compound joins a Greek word for self to a Latin word for pouring. The meaning stays tied to that physical act: the blood is poured back into the same body it came from.