What is blood management surgery or bloodless surgery?
Bloodless surgery experts use techniques before, during and after surgery that avoid transfusions of donor blood entirely.
Why does bloodless surgery exist?
Bloodless surgeries are usually performed for a few reasons: religion, concerns about safety and personal preference. Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid blood transfusions for religious reasons and seek bloodless alternatives. Others wish to avoid the risk of both blood-borne infections and immune system suppression. Still others may reject the idea of something foreign in their bodies.
How are bloodless surgeries performed?
Bloodless surgeons employ many strategies prior to the surgery. For example, different medications can increase the patient’s blood supply. Then, during the surgery, surgeons use cutting-edge technology that can avoid blood loss. There are special machines and surgical techniques used for this purpose.
Some doctors may store the patient’s blood before surgery to transfuse it if necessary. For patients who are seeking alternatives to being transfused, there are also machines that continually circulate the blood so it never leaves the body. Finally, there are techniques used post-surgery to help the patient recover.
Learn more about techniques used:
Can any surgeon perform bloodless surgery?
Bloodless surgery should be performed by a multidisciplinary team with individualized expertise in all aspects of pre-, intra- and post-operative care.
What are the benefits of bloodless surgery?
Benefits include faster recovery time, no fear of contracting blood-borne infections, a lower mortality rate and fewer complications.
Want to know more about bloodless surgery? Please call us at 202-444-1797 to make an appointment, or talk to our administrator about your bloodless surgery needs.
