Dictionary Definition
autologous adj : derived from organisms of the
selfsame individual; "autologous blood donation" [ant: homologous, heterologous]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Adjective
- Derived from part of the same individual
Derived terms
See also
Extensive Definition
In biology, autologous refers to
cells,
tissues or even proteins
that are reimplanted in the same individual as they come from.
Bone
marrow, skin biopsy,
cartilage, and
bone can be used as
autografts.
In contrast, cells or tissues transplanted from a
different individual are referred to as allogeneic, homologous, or as
an allograft.
Autologous blood donation
In blood banking terminology, autologous refers to a blood donation marked for use by the donor, typically for a scheduled surgery. They are commonly called "Autos" by blood bank staff.Some advantages of autologous blood donation are:
- Blood type will always match, even with a rare blood type or antibody type.
- If only autologous blood is used during surgery the risk of exposure to infectious disease such as hepatitis or HIV from blood is eliminated.
- The risk of allergic reactions is reduced.
The disadvantages are typically:
- Higher cost due to individualized processing, record-keeping, and management.
- In most cases, the blood is discarded if it is not used instead of being added to the general supply.
Autologous blood is not routinely tested for
infectious diseases markers such as HIV antibodies. In the
United States, autologous blood is only tested if it is collected
in one place and shipped to another.
There is also a risk that, in an emergency or if
more blood is required than has been set aside in advance, the
patient could still be exposed to donor blood instead of autologous
blood. Autologous donation is also not suitable for patients who
are medically unable to or not advised to give blood, such as
cardiac patients or
small children and
infants.
Bone autograft
In orthopaedic medicine, bone graft can be sourced from a patient's own bone in order to fill space and produce an osteogenic response in a bone defect. However, due to the donor-site morbidity associated with autograft, other methods such as bone allograft and bone morphogenetic proteins and synthetic graft materials are often used as alternatives.See also
- Autotransfusion - the process of returning to a patient their own blood that has been lost.