Anemia

Abstract

Preoperative and postoperative anemia are associated with increased morbidity and mortality after surgery. The goals of managing anemia in the perioperative setting include optimizing hemoglobin and hematocrit, preventing unnecessary blood loss, and using red blood cell transfusions judiciously. Recent studies indicate that adhering to a restrictive transfusion threshold (transfusion for hemoglobin <7-8 g/dL) in the perioperative setting does not impact morbidity and mortality and decreases patient exposure to RBC transfusion.