What about blood transfusions?
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Most orthopedic procedures do not require a blood transfusion since up to date
techniques are employed to minimize blood loss. While blood transfusion is generally
safe, great effort is taken to prevent the need for transfusion.
The Paul Gann Act requires that “whenever there is a reasonable possibility, as
determined by a physician and surgeon, that a blood transfusion may be necessary as
a result of a medical or surgical procedure, the physician and surgeon, by means of a
standardized written summary as most recently developed or revised by the State
Department of Health Services pursuant to subdivision (e), shall inform the patient of
the positive and negative aspects of receiving autologous blood and directed and
nondirected homologous blood from volunteers." For purposes of this section, the
term "autologous blood" includes, but is not limited to predonation, intraoperative
autologous transfusion, plasmapheresis, and hemodilution.
A Patient's Guide to Blood Transfusion
Guía del Paciente para un Transfusión de Sangre
If blood transfusion is necessary, tests are performed for detecting HIV 1& 2
(viruses that cause AIDS), hepatitis B and C, human T-cell lymphotropic viruses 1&2
(HTLV), ALT (a liver enzyme) and syphilis. The risk of Hepatitis C and HIV is
about 1 in 2,000,000 and for Hepatitis B the risk is less than 1 in 200,000. All others
are even lower risk. The annual risk for dying in a motor vehicle accident is about 1
in 7,000.
techniques are employed to minimize blood loss. While blood transfusion is generally
safe, great effort is taken to prevent the need for transfusion.
The Paul Gann Act requires that “whenever there is a reasonable possibility, as
determined by a physician and surgeon, that a blood transfusion may be necessary as
a result of a medical or surgical procedure, the physician and surgeon, by means of a
standardized written summary as most recently developed or revised by the State
Department of Health Services pursuant to subdivision (e), shall inform the patient of
the positive and negative aspects of receiving autologous blood and directed and
nondirected homologous blood from volunteers." For purposes of this section, the
term "autologous blood" includes, but is not limited to predonation, intraoperative
autologous transfusion, plasmapheresis, and hemodilution.
A Patient's Guide to Blood Transfusion
Guía del Paciente para un Transfusión de Sangre
If blood transfusion is necessary, tests are performed for detecting HIV 1& 2
(viruses that cause AIDS), hepatitis B and C, human T-cell lymphotropic viruses 1&2
(HTLV), ALT (a liver enzyme) and syphilis. The risk of Hepatitis C and HIV is
about 1 in 2,000,000 and for Hepatitis B the risk is less than 1 in 200,000. All others
are even lower risk. The annual risk for dying in a motor vehicle accident is about 1
in 7,000.
| Juan C. Frisancho, M.D. Orthopedic Surgery Joint Replacement |
