USC Transfusion-Free Medicine and Surgery Program
The practice of bloodless medicine involves the delivery of medical and surgical care without the transfusion of blood products. This technique has long been applied to Jehovah's Witness patients, but it is now experiencing widespread popularity with other patients due to the lessened risk of infection and immunologic complications.
The USC University Hospital Center for Liver Disease use a multidisciplinary approach to eliminate the need for the transfusion of blood and blood products. The strategy is to build up the body's own reserve of blood components prior to an operation and perform all surgeries in a fashion that minimizes blood loss. Of critical importance are distinct identification of anatomic planes and rapid control of even minor hemorrhage using surgical ligation and local agents that promote coagulation in the operative field. Dr. Selby has honed this technique during the past 10 years as liver transplant surgeons. Liver transplant surgery is a long and complicated procedure in which all efforts must be made to reduce stresses on the patient. Keeping blood loss to a minimum is of vital importance.
Early on, the two surgeons realized the patient benefits of bloodless surgery in transplantation and began applying the same technique to all abdominal surgical procedures that they performed. Regardless of whether their patients were having surgery for something as simple as a hernia or as complex as major liver or pancreatic surgery, the bloodless surgical technique was used. The results for patients were immediately obvious. The frequency of post-surgical infections was lessened, as was the patient's recuperation time. Bloodless surgical techniques are the standard practice at the USC University Hospital Center for Liver Disease. If you have any questions about these techniques or the USC Center for Liver Disease, call us at (323) 442-5908 or contact us by e-mail at uscliver@surgery.hsc.usc.edu.
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