title: Rationale for blood conservation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exposure of patients to allogeneic blood transfusion can be minimized or avoided by the systematic use of multiple blood conservation techniques. Current use of these technologies is variable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of pertinent English language literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Enthusiasm for preoperative autologous blood donation (PAD) has declined considerably, perhaps due to increased cost and inconvenience to patients. Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) has several practical advantages over PAD, but has not become generally accepted as a blood conservation strategy. Erythropoietin, iron, and artificial oxygen carriers are pharmacologic alternatives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pharmacologic stimulation of erythropoiesis offers substantial potential to progress toward a goal of bloodless medicine. The potential of artificial blood substitutes is still being defined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Medicine, Transfusion Service, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California 94305-5626, USA. Ltgoodno@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Lawrence T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Goodnough
mesh_terms: D001802:Blood Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006397:Hematinics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D001802:Blood Substitutes; D006397:Hematinics