Blood conservation strategies in cardiovascular surgery

Blood conservation is a measurable intervention in which clinical and financial outcomes may be tracked. This article describes a systems approach to blood conservation for a cardiac surgery population. Four key areas are discussed: needs assessment, committee construction, blood conservation strategies, and outcome measurement. Specific evidenced-based blood conservation strategies include, but are not limited to, transfusion risk index, phlebotomy techniques, management of hemostasis and hemoglobin levels which includes blood testing, pharmacologic agents, and blood transfusion prescription guidelines.