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Anesthesiol Clin North America · Jun 2005
ReviewPreoperative evaluation and methods to reduce blood use in orthopedic surgery.
- E Michael Keating.
- The Center for Hip and Knee Surgery, 1199 Hadley Road, Mooresville, IN 46158, USA. em.keating@att.net
- Anesthesiol Clin North America. 2005 Jun 1;23(2):305-13, vi-vii.
AbstractMajor elective orthopedic surgery may be associated with significant blood loss and allogeneic transfusion risk. Identifying patients at risk for allogeneic transfusion is best accomplished with a thorough preoperative evaluation of the patient's hematopoietic system, which, unfortunately, is not always carried out. An evaluation of the hematopoietic system begins with an evaluation of the patient's hemoglobin level a minimum of 30 days before the scheduled surgical procedure. This allows for expedited diagnosis and treatment of underlying comorbidities. An unexplained low level of hemoglobin or a hemoglobin level low enough to increase the patient's allogeneic risk should cause elective surgery to be deferred until an evaluation can be preformed and blood management strategies put in place.
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