Bloodless surgery centers or hospitals are now performing no transfusion surgery. In this technique the patients can store their blood weeks before the operation to avoid any kind of transfusion. This technique vary, depends on the type of operation.
There is also pre surgery planning. Doctors start seeing patients weeks before surgery to prepare. Reductions in recovery time, hospital stay, cost and complications are the benefits of it. It is best to avoid donor blood transfusions whenever possible. But the transfusions are remaining an important lifesaving strategy in a heart surgery.
Heart surgery faces more difficult to use this technique. In traditional open heart surgery, six units of red blood cells, four units of plasma and 10 units of platelets are needed. But patients, who choose the no transfusion option, eliminate the risk of blood-borne infection and complications from clerical errors.
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