NoBlood

From Kingdom Hall to Main Street, USA: a new standard of care.(THE WAY AHEAD)

Surgical Products; 5/1/2006; Ritsma, Richard

An innovative surgical option that was once only available to Jehovah's Witnesses, is being increasingly offered to the general public, and is rapidly gaining in popularity. Until a few years ago no-transfusion surgery, or "bloodless surgery," was a rare, niche technique offered by a small number of bloodless medicine programs catering to Jehovah's Witnesses, who believe that the Bible forbids blood transfusions. The vast benefits and advancing technology behind bloodless procedures, however, have prompted a substantial growth in bloodless surgery centers and programs, to the point where nearly 150 hospitals nationwide currently offer the option to their patients.

While blood transfusions have become routine in surgical procedures, and are an incredibly valuable and crucial lifesaving technique, it is generally accepted that avoiding donor blood transfusions whenever possible is in the best interest of the patient. Usually, given enough advanced warning prior to a procedure, a patient can have his/her own blood drawn, stored and used as needed during the surgery. Bloodless surgery, though, provides a more beneficial and less risky alternative.

Bloodless surgery incorporates a few innovative surgical instruments and techniques to keep a patient's blood from being lost intra-operatively. Harmonic scalpels and other advanced cut/coag surgical equipment can help to clot blood immediately as the tissue is cut. Cryoablation is also effective at minimizing blood loss in certain procedures.

Naturally, though, a certain degree of blood loss is inevitable in any procedure, so bloodless surgery in many cases employs an advanced intraoperative cell salvage machine, commonly called a "cell-saver." This machine collects blood lost during a procedure from suction equipment and sponges. It then spins, washes, and filters the blood, and returns the patient's own red blood cells back into the body. This helps eliminate blood-borne infection and drastically cuts down on procedural complications and patient recovery time.

Bloodless surgery also offers a number of economic benefits. The demand for blood is always high. Roughly 34,000 units of red blood cells are used in American hospitals daily. Despite the valiant efforts of the American Red Cross [ARC) and the selfless diligence of countless donors, the ARC is constantly at a critical shortage of blood. In addition, due to the costs involved in collecting, testing, and storing the blood, the price for a single unit can exceed $200. Once hospital procedure costs are added in, that price can reach up to $500 per unit. With all the benefits that bloodless surgery offers, these procedures have the potential to save an estimated $20,000 per patient.

2006 Advantage Business Media

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