Blood conservation in a congenital cardiac surgery program.
Bloodless surgery programs are being instituted because of increasing public concerns about blood transfusions and the need to accommodate some patients' religious beliefs. Patients' desires to forego transfusion must be identified during the preoperative screening process and subsequently reflected on the surgical consent. Patients are managed preoperatively with erythropoietin and dietary supplements. The surgical team employs a variety of intraoperative and postoperative blood conservation techniques to help avoid the need for transfusion. A retrospective review of congenital cardiac procedures in a blood conservation program confirmed that bloodless cardiac surgery is effective.
John
Tracey
T
Heart Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
Rodeman
Roberta
R
Colvin
Roslyn
R
D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002835:Christianity; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000451:nursing / Q000601:surgery*; D006397:Hematinics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D006397:Hematinics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa