By searching Medline by service line (i.e. cardiac, total joint replacement, critical care etc.) and blood transfusion or bloodless you will find many abstracts that tell the story. They will focus on increased length of stay, higher costs, immunosuppression, human error/wrong blood transfused etc.

Some of the information you seek is located under the Medical Abstracts forum on this site.

__________________
Mr. Jan B. Wade
Blood Management Consultant
Enhance Outcomes - Control Cost
For Information Call - 360 296-1807
Email

Hi Elzet.
The benefiits and popularity of bloodless surgery center around (3) main areas:

Clinical
There is a host of evidence-based literature that clearly indicates that patient outcomes are enhanced when blood is avoided during surgery. Rather than an increase in martality and morbidity rates, patients treated using non-blood medical managment have lower average-lengths of stay, less time in the ICU, less time on a respirator, lower infection rates, lower immune suppression, etc. This is the case regardless of the type of surgery (cardiovascular, orthopedic, general, etc.)

Patient care costs
Because of the reasons mentioned above (and more), patients who avoid blood, cost a hospital less to care for. Since the healthcare industry in America centers around a need to maintain profitibility, along with the fact that many patient insurance programs are sponsored by the government (Medicare). This is a very important factor.

Increased Market Share
Because care without the use of blood is strongly desired by the public (either because of religious beliefs, or the desire to avoid blood born diseases) many hospitals benefit from a bloodless program because it attracts new patients (away from other hospitals). Again, in America, hospitals compete with one another for patients. The general rule:" the more patients, the more profit (for hospitals and participating physicians).

I'm unfamiliar with how healthcare is governed in South Africa, but some or all of the above may apply in your country. I'd be happy to mail you some information that might be helpful.

Best regards,
Daniel Friedman, Chief Executive Officer
Bloodless Healthcare Development, Inc.

__________________
Daniel H. Friedman
Chief Executive Officer
Bloodless Healthcare Development, Inc.
www.bloodlesshealth.com

"Specializing in the Implementation, Development, and Enhancement of Blood Conservation Programs"

Elzet,
Much in line with Daniel Friedman, we narrowed the "pros" of a blood conservation program under five motivational factors:
Patients' Personal concerns- "fear of disease, infection, viral, etc. . "
Medical Reasons- patients' who can't receive blood, matching issues
Religious or Scriptural Beliefs-Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, many others
Cost Effectiveness- Dan had this under clinical - "length of stay"
Blood Shortage - Donor population decreasing

There is much written concerning this topic in the way of medical journals, books and articles. Some current information is provided on this site. You might want to also visit www.nataonline.com or www.sabm.org to see what physicians around the world are saying about this topic.
Thank you for taking an interest in bloodless medicine.
Sincerely,

I am a sophomore in high school and I am doing my research paper on bloodless surgery. If anyone could give me any information on this topic I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Xavier

To research the religious aspect of bloodless surgery, as far as concerns Jehovah's Witnesses, the Society has a website: Jehovah’s Witnesses: Watchtower Society Official Web Site This is the only official website of the Society, so you'll be assured of finding the correct information.

This link will take you to specific information: Publications Available - Jehovah’s Witnesses Official Web Site


On this page, scroll down until you reach the subtitle 'Brochures', the second listing under that will be the booklet entitled, 'How Can Blood Save Your Life?' This provides a more indepth explanation of why Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood based upon a deeply held religious conviction.

I;ve just learned of this site today and I find it to be very informative. I have to present to a group of doctors and nurses in a hospital about the different alternatives to blood transfusions and I found quit difficult to find precises information on what I am looking for. If anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. I need information on the different alternatives, maybe not all, but the most popular ones; the risks involved in each such as complications and side effects, the benefits and anything else that might be important. I've been to different web-sites and it's hard to get exact information. We need to educate the medical field about the alternatives that are out there. If I can get some information on the DPA's I would appreciate that also.

Please locate the nearest Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses and they will supply you with the DVD "Transfusion Alternatives." This will answer your questions.

__________________
Jim Laws

Contact the nearest Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness'. They have excellent material on the subject. Especially the 32 page brochure "How can blood save your life." Another is a 4 page letter/brochure "Blood Transfusion- Why Not for Jehovah's Witnesses?" It is addressed:
"To Members of the Medical Proffession:" The official website for the JW's is "Watchtower.org"
Here you'll find a video you can watch titled: "Transfusion-Alternative Strategies. Simple, Safe, Effective." Who better than JW's official web site to answer your questions?

jvarisco posted the five motivational factors:
"Patients' Personal concerns- "fear of disease, infection, viral, etc. . "
Medical Reasons- patients' who can't receive blood, matching issues
Religious or Scriptural Beliefs-Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, many others
Cost Effectiveness- Dan had this under clinical - "length of stay"
Blood Shortage - Donor population decreasing"

Improved Care is possibly a sixth reason. Nurse staffing shortages and nursing demands are affecting health care in many countries. South Africa is facing a crisis in nursing unparalleled in the West. Eliminating the consumption of time it takes to administer a transfusion and decreasing complications and stays is a major benefit to the nurses in any hospital.