STS/SCA/AmSECT/SABM Update to the Clinical Practice Guidelines on Patient Blood Management

Owing to the constantly evolving nature of the medical literature, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) clinical practice guidelines periodically undergoes evaluation and updating. A multidisciplinary panel of experts was convened by the STS, which includes members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA), the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology (AmSECT), and the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management (SABM), to review the latest data on patient blood management and to update the 2011 Update to the STS and the SCA Blood Conservation Clinical Practice Guidelines. The concept of patient blood management informs the recommendations in this document and stresses the importance of an evidence-based, multimodal, and multidisciplinary approach to not just conserving blood resources but also optimizing outcomes in patients at high risk for transfusion. The individual recommendations are meant to be conceived of as part of an all-inclusive protocol-based and shared decision-making approach rather than isolated interventions to reduce blood loss and transfusion.

Our intent is to present the most comprehensive set of guidelines possible, and we hope that this will serve as a resource so as to improve the outcomes of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery.