What is bloodless medicine and surgery? Every year, millions of people are seen in hospital operating rooms for serious surgical procedures. These can be the result of a traumatic injury or a planned surgical procedure to correct an injury or damage from disease. These complicated surgeries typically result in considerable blood loss. Blood transfusions are the most common way of replenishing the body’s blood supply.

Some patients do not wish to receive blood transfusions or other blood products from outside donors due to concerns about the possibility of blood-borne pathogens, viruses and disease. Others do not wish to receive donated blood because of religious beliefs. These patients opt to receive a whole new form of treatment known as bloodless medicine.

Bloodless medicine refers to medical techniques designed to monitor, conserve and improve the efficiency of the patient’s existing blood supply. Bloodless medicine techniques can involve dietary practices prior to surgery, medications prior to surgery, specific techniques during surgery, and the use of blood collected during surgery.

Only a handful of select hospital systems in the U.S. offer bloodless medicine and surgery, including The Center for Blood Conservation at Grant.

Grant’s advanced technology in the field of bloodless medicine offers the following techniques:

• Volume expanders – Intravenous fluids are used to enhance the circulation of a patient's own blood without the use of blood or blood products
• Pharmaceuticals – Synthetic erythropoietin and intravenous iron stimulate bone marrow to produce red blood cells and hemostatic agents to promote coagulation
• Intra-operative blood salvage – Salvage equipment saves, filters and re-circulates the patient's own non-stored blood
• Bloodless surgical tools – Harmonic scalpels, lasers, argon beam coagulators, electrocautery and other devices are used during surgery to reduce blood loss
• Hyperbaric oxygen changer –This device delivers oxygen under increased pressure to improve tissue oxygenation
• Blood conservation techniques – The patient's blood pressure and temperature can be lowered during surgery. Also, micro-sampling techniques are used to reduce the amount of blood specimens needed for analytic testing

To find out more information about whether or not bloodless medicine is right for you, call (614) 566-8201 or 614-4-Health.