Bloodless Cardiac Surgery

Transfusion-free cardiac surgery is now available at Penn. Patients receive no blood or blood products during the procedure, reducing the risk of complications and a long hospital stay.

Pennsylvania Hospital is a national leader in bloodless surgery. At the Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery (CBMS), blood management techniques and minimally invasive surgical procedures are available as transfusion-free alternatives to any patient who is interested and qualifies as a good candidate. By definition, bloodless medicine and surgery programs offer patients an option to completely avoid transfusing blood or blood products before, during or after surgery through a variety of medical and surgical techniques.

Because open-heart surgery is frequently associated with blood loss, patients often assume that a blood transfusion may be necessary. Prior to elective heart surgery, patients interested in pursuing the bloodless option are evaluated at the CBMS, where they undergo testing to check their iron and hemoglobin levels and boost their blood count, if necessary. The bloodless cardiac surgery team includes cardiac surgeons, hematologists, cardiologists, anesthesiologists and perfusionists trained in the latest blood-sparing technologies.

“Traditionally, heart surgery is associated with the greatest blood loss of all surgical procedures so it is a technological challenge to routinely perform open-heart surgery without a transfusion,” says Charles R. Bridges, MD, ScD, chief of cardiovascular surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital. “We have a unique combination of skills and a coordinated team that is not commonly available elsewhere. We have the infrastructure in place to perform these bloodless surgeries often and well. Not everyone is a good candidate for this type of surgery, but if patients meet certain criteria, more than 90 percent of them are able to undergo heart surgery without receiving a blood transfusion.”

Transfusion-free (“bloodless”) cardiac surgery can be performed using either a standard surgical incision or in many cases the procedure can be performed minimally invasively.  For minimally invasive mitral valve surgery, for example, a small incision is made in the natural breast crease and the surgeon gently spreads the ribs to reach the heart. In order to reduce or eliminate blood loss during the surgery, the surgical team uses a smaller, more efficient heart-lung machine and salvages blood that is suctioned during the surgery, as well as avoiding unnecessary blood tests after the operation.

The benefits of transfusion-free, minimally invasive cardiac surgery are significant. Patients experience a limited amount of blood loss, a reduction in postoperative pain and improved cosmetic results. Patients usually have a shorter hospital stay and the risks of transfusion-related complications are reduced or eliminated.

In the United States, many hospitals are now offering bloodless medicine and surgery programs as more physicians and patients become aware of its many benefits. Patients and families purposely choose this innovative form of medical treatment for religious, ethical or personal reasons. The Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital is recognized as one of the leading programs in the Philadelphia region and throughout the country.

Patient appointments are available at:

Pennsylvania Hospital
230 W. Washington Square
Farm Journal Building, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Pennsylvania Hospital
Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery
700 Spruce Street, Suite 102
Philadelphia, PA 19106

	Need an appointment? Request one online 24 hours/day, 7 days/week or call 800-789-PENN (7366) to speak to a referral counselor.

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