Study	Reason for exclusion
Avall 1997	Fifty‐six patients were enrolled in the study, but more than half were excluded after randomisation. Patients not receiving transfused blood, or receiving too much blood (> 3 units of allogeneic blood or autologous + allogeneic blood) were excluded.
Goodnough 1999	Randomised trial of acute normovolemic haemodilution compared to preoperative autologous donation in total knee arthroplasty. No appropriate control/comparator group.
Goodnough 2000	Randomised trial of acute normovolemic haemodilution compared to preoperative autologous donation in total hip arthroplasty. No appropriate control/comparator group.
Kiyama 1999	Randomised controlled trial of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery who were randomised to either perioperative recombinant human erythropoietin (Epoetin alpha) and preoperative autologous donation or to iron supplementation. No appropriate control/comparator group.
Rubens 2000	Randomised trial of acute normovolemic haemodilution compared to preoperative autologous donation in adult cardiac surgery. No appropriate control/comparator group.
Stowell 1999	A multicentre, randomised, open‐label, parallel‐group study comparing the safety and efficacy of perioperative recombinant human erythropoietin (Epoetin alpha) with the safety and efficacy of preoperative autologous donation in total joint arthroplasty. This trial was comparing one active treatment versus another active treatment. No appropriate control/comparator group.