Gainesville, Fla.-based UF Health is testing a new blood management program to prevent unneeded transfusions among surgical patients, according to an Aug. 13 report from Mainstreet Daily News.
As part of the effort, all patients will be screened ahead of scheduled surgeries for hemoglobin levels. If screening indicates they have anemia — a common risk factor for needing a blood transfusion — their care team will work with them to increase their hemoglobin levels ahead of their surgery.
"We think we can do something very special here at UF Health by screening all our patients for anemia, and we hopefully can make sure that a substantial number of these patients will be treated for that before they go into surgery," Thorsten Haas, MD, director of patient blood management at UF College of Medicine, told the news outlet. "When they’re starting with better hemoglobin levels, they are less likely to get transfused, which would improve patient safety because they are less likely to develop any side effects," from a transfusion, which range from fever and chills to severe complications.
The blood management program also frees up supply for emergency cases.