Guidelines to Transfusion-free Medicine Whole blood and its components are prohibited (packed red blood cells, leukocytes, platelets and plasma that includes fresh frozen plasma, and white blood cells) Auto transfusion of banked blood or blood products is also prohibited Blood remaining in circulation within the body is usually acceptable (cardiopulmonary bypass, plasmapheresis or dialysis). Perioperative blood salvage (cell salvage), hemodilution, dialysis/heart-lung bypass therapeutic aphaeresis Albumin/plasma protein fraction, clotting factors (non-recombinant VIII, and IX) cryoprecipitate, immunoglobulins, interferons, hemophilia preparations, vaccines and sera is an individual decision Generally accepted are nonblood plasma expanders (normal saline, Ringer’s lactate, dextran, hetastarch), erythropoietin, and new fluorinated blood substitutes (perfluorochemicals) Back to Transfusion-Free Medicine & Surgery home page