What are the possible alternatives to blood transfusion?

When getting ready for an operation, the need for blood transfusion can be decreased or avoided by careful planning. However, using patient blood management strategies does not rule out the possibility of needing a blood transfusion.

Before an operation, the Perioperative Patient Blood Management Program (PPBMP) tactics include:

1. Iron
   • An Iron Healthy Diet
   • Iron Supplements
   • IV (Intravenous) Iron
2. ESAs (Erythropoesis Stimulating Agents)
3. Preoperative Autologous Blood Donation (PAD)

Each of these methods will be reviewed, often more than one tactic is used.