Surgery without blood.

OBJECTIVE

The principle aim of "bloodless surgery" is to minimize blood loss and to reduce or eliminate exposure to allogeneic blood transfusion. The risks associated with blood transfusions have been well documented, and it is the goal of bloodless surgery centers to avoid complications and unnecessary use of blood. Blood transfusion is a significant adjunct to perioperative resuscitation. However, we aim to elucidate different approaches to minimizing blood loss and avoiding transfusion.

DESIGN

In this document, we review the background and current status of bloodless surgery centers and then the different approaches to achieve the program goals.

FINDINGS

There is no one single universal blood conservation strategy that is applicable to all patients and populations. Factors such as preexisting disease will alter the approach; however, it is the ability of any program to form a comprehensive strategy for blood conservation that is integral to the success of any such program.

CONCLUSION

The success of a bloodless surgery program requires both teamwork and careful cooperation between the blood bank, pharmacy, administration, hematologists, surgeon, and anesthesiologist to ensure that the goals of minimizing blood loss and avoiding transfusion are met.