Our approach to transfusion-free medicine
Our Center for Transfusion-Free Medicine offers a range of blood transfusion alternatives and practices that use no blood for elective (non-emergency) surgery. Our breadth of experience means we can provide bloodless procedures across most specialty areas, including oncology, hematology, orthopedics, and cardiology.
Our team provides comprehensive "no blood" recommendations before, during, and after treatment to keep you safe. We focus on:
- Improving coagulation (blood clotting)
- Maximizing hemoglobin levels (oxygen in your blood)
- Minimizing bleeding
There are many ways you can prepare your body for a surgical procedure without blood-product support. Our recommendations may include:
- Nutritional supplements: Iron, vitamin C, folic acid, and vitamins C, K, and B-12 increase red blood cells and blood oxygen.
- Medication: We may prescribe medication to improve blood clotting, stimulate red and white blood cell production, and boost platelets.
- Lifestyle changes: We recommend quitting smoking completely and stopping all alcohol use at least 10 days before bloodless surgery.
- Counseling: We evaluate any supplements or medications you’re taking, such as aspirin or anticoagulants, that increase your risk for bleeding.
- Blood disorder management: We ensure conditions like anemia, iron deficiency, or bleeding and clotting disorders are under control before surgery.
A skilled team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and hematologists use specialized blood management techniques during your procedure.
Anesthesia techniques to maintain blood volume and recycle blood include:
- Cell salvage: collecting blood from an active bleeding site and re-infusing it to maintain blood volume
- Hemodilution: removing blood before surgery and replacing it with intravenous fluids, then re-infusing the blood after surgery
- Hypotensive anesthesia: using medication to lower your blood pressure during the procedure to minimize blood loss
- Temperature management: inducing hypothermia (lowering body temperature) to slow metabolism so your body doesn’t need as much oxygen from your blood
Surgical techniques that limit blood loss include:
- Cryosurgery: freezes diseased tissue with liquid nitrogen
- Electrocautery: destroys tissue and stops bleeding using an electric current
- Gamma Knife® radiosurgery: uses radiation therapy to treat brain tumors noninvasively
- Laser surgery: cutting, burning, or dissolving tissue with light beams to minimize bleeding
- Microwave and ultrasonic scalpels: tools that use heat or ultrasound waves to cut tissue and seal bleeding vessels
- Robotic-assisted surgery: uses a surgeon-controlled robotic arm to operate through small incisions
We provide attentive follow-up care after surgery to monitor your blood counts, check for excess bleeding, and ensure you’re recovering. We may recommend medication or nutritional supplements to improve your iron levels and boost red blood cell production.