With use of a simple, inexpensive and nonpharmacological program for blood conservation, 24 consecutive patients underwent elective or urgent coronary artery bypass grafting without need of homologous red cell transfusions and /or fresh frozen plasma transfusions in 16 patients[66.7%]. Left internal mammary artery graftings were done in 18 patients[75%], with supplemental saphenous vein grafts in all. Intraoperatively, autologous heparinized blood was removed before bypass and retransfused at the conclusion of ext-racorporeal circulation. The volume remaining in the oxygenator and tubing set was returned without cell processing or hemofiltration. Using the hard-shell cardiotomy reservoir from the oxygenator, autotransfusion of the shed mediastinal blood was continued hourly by the next early;norning. The mean postoperative mediastinal blood loss was 364$pm$234ml, whereas 553$pm$383ml was autotransfused. 4 patients [16.7%] received homologous blood and an additional 4 patients[16.7%] fresh frozen plasma. Thus, in total, 16 patients[66.7%] were not exposed to any homologous blood products during the hospital stay. At discharge, the mean hemoglobin concentration was 10.3$pm$1.6g /dl. Postoperative complications were few and there was no hospital death.