Abstract
Autologous blood transfusion has been recommended as the blood of choice for surgical patients. Procurement of autologous blood can be accomplished by utilizing one or more conservation interventions: preoperative autologous blood donation, acute preoperative hemodilution, and perioperative autologous salvage. Recent estimates of cost-effectiveness emphasize that blood conservation interventions need to be held accountable with regards to their costs as well as their benefits. Despite recent advances in blood safety, patients need to be informed of the relative risks of blood transfusion and blood conservation, so that a careful balance of the need for blood conservation along with an acknowledgement of the life-saving properties of blood can be maintained.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 86-97 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Intensive Care Medicine |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1994 |