Management of blood products in orthopedic surgery

Abstract

Major orthopedic procedures entail significant blood loss in patient groups with high prevalence of anemia. The vital role of allogeneic blood is widely established in managing life-threatening blood loss. However, the safety profile of such transfusions is still far from perfect. Various perioperative modalities have proven capable of minimizing or even eliminating transfusion requirements in elective orthopedic procedures. Perioperative blood management is a multimodal planned approach to patient care. It should be regarded as the standard of care in elective orthopedic procedures.