Patient Blood Management Before Surgery Patient Blood management is a part of the cardiac surgery program at St. Mary’s Hospital.

goal is to decrease the number of blood transfusions that patients receive How? By making sure that your body has what it needs to replace lost blood By safely increasing the amount of blood in your body before surgery when necessary The goal of patient blood management is to decrease the number of blood transfusions that patients require. We do this by making sure that your body has everything it needs to replace blood lost as a result of surgery. We can also attempt to increase the amount of blood in your body before surgery if there is time and if it can be done safely. (Cont’d)

Most patients are potential candidates for blood management strategies before surgery Depending on the results of one of your blood tests today, you may or may not require one. Most blood management strategies are very simple

Vitamin and Minerals: building blocks for blood Folic Acid; 5 mg by mouth once a day (50 days) Vitamin B12; pills (50)or injections from your family doctor Iron; ferrous fumarate 300 mg by mouth twice a day (50 days) Intravenous Iron; iron sucrose 300 mg by infusion These vitamins and minerals help your body build blood cells. It makes sense then that you might benefit from taking these supplements before and after surgery. Most people take pills or capsules, but if your iron levels are really low and the time line is short, it may be a good idea to receive iron intravenously.

Hormones that stimulate your body to make blood Erythropoietin is a hormone naturally secreted by the kidney It stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells Several man made versions are available EPREX; 2 – 4 weekly injections ARANESP; ongoing weekly injections Coupled with supplements Erythropoietin is the hormone naturally secreted by the kidneys to regulate your blood levels. We can inject a man made version or this hormone under your skin to stimulate your bone marrow to increase the amount of blood in your body before surgery. If this is necessary for you we will talk about it at length because it is not entirely risk free and will require extra blood work and extra trips to the hospital or your family doctor.