A Bloodless Surgical Journey: Alternatives to Transfusion

Abstract

Although blood transfusions are considered essential for many procedures, it is possible to perform surgery without the use of transfusions. Achieving this, however, may require concerted effort to be applied by a coordinated care team across the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of care. These strategies include optimization of hemoglobin levels preoperatively, salvaging blood intraoperatively, and supporting hematopoiesis throughout perioperative care. In this infographic, we review specific interventions that can be performed to reduce or eliminate the need for transfusion, while describing some of the indications for bloodless surgery.