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March 28, 2007
Medical City Extends Commitment to Community By Launching a Comprehensive Blood Conservation Center
Program created for patients wishing to avoid use of blood transfusion and blood products during medical procedures

Medical City Dallas Hospital extends its commitment to the health and well being of the Dallas-Fort Worth community by launching its Blood Conservation Medicine and Surgery Center for patients wishing to avoid the use of donor blood during medical and surgical procedures. This program is comprehensive and is designed to provide an advanced level of care to address patients’ specialized needs.

The hospital launched the program by hosting a free educational seminar for Jehovah’s Witness Congregations on March 28.

“We are focused on meeting the specialized needs of our patients, including those who prefer or require options for bloodless therapy,” said Lynn Pappas, associate administrator at Medical City. “Our commitment is to provide state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled teams of surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and technicians who fully understand and support bloodless medical and surgical services.”

Originally designed to meet the religious requirements of Jehovah’s Witnesses, bloodless medicine is gaining popularity with other religious organizations such as Orthodox Jews. The general public has also fully embraced blood conservation strategies. Approximately 160 programs are now available at medical centers across the U.S.

Apart from religious conviction, patients may prefer a transfusion-free treatment method for other reasons such as a faster recovery time, eliminating the risk of blood-borne illnesses and avoiding potential complications including immune system suppression, inflammatory response and renal or respiratory failure. Experts agree that bloodless surgery is also preferable to transfusing pre-donated blood as this blood degrades while in storage.

Thanks to advances in equipment and technology, physicians and surgeons can safely and successfully perform a multitude of procedures, ranging from routine appendectomies to complex orthopedic and open-heart surgeries, without using blood transfusions.

Blood conservation techniques involve a variety of medicines to increase the production of red blood cells, boost blood volume, reduce bleeding and enhance blood clotting. Surgical devices such as lasers, argon beam coagulator and electrocautery help reduce bleeding during surgery.

Typically, physicians see patients opting for bloodless medical procedures several weeks before surgery in order to conduct blood tests and begin preparation that can include medications to boost iron scores and augment red blood cell production. Medical City optimizes the medical management of the patient several weeks in advance of surgery.

Medical City will begin issuing participant cards that identify patients as part of its Blood Conservation Center at the educational meeting today. Patients are encouraged to present the cards to the staff whenever entering the hospital for treatment. Any member of the DFW community can receive a card by calling the program coordinator at 972-566-4699.