Bloodless Medicine

Bloodless medicine treats specific medical issues, like slow-healing surgical wounds, using a unique non-transfusion-based approach. It was originally developed to serve certain religious groups but is now used in the general population as well. At the Family Health & Wellness Center by Dr. Singh in Las Vegas and Pahrump, Nevada, AJ Singh, MD, and Johnathan Maxham, DO, provide bloodless medicine to people of all ages. Call to schedule a bloodless medicine consultation or request an appointment online today.

What is bloodless medicine?

Bloodless medicine is a group of evidence-based treatments that allow doctors to avoid blood transfusions and other similar procedures. Instead, it uses a combination of prescription medication, surgery, and anesthesia to promote healing and recovery.

Bloodless medicine is based on three pillars: minimizing blood loss, managing anemia, and optimizing tissue oxygenation. It provides a safe and effective treatment alternative when a blood transfusion isn’t an option.

What are the benefits of bloodless medicine?

Bloodless medicine provides various benefits compared to traditional blood transfusions, including:

• Quicker healing and recovery
• Fewer negative reactions
• Reduced risk of infection
• No risk of receiving the wrong blood type in error

Bloodless medicine incorporates all blood products, including red cells, white cells, plasma, and platelets. 

What types of medical conditions can benefit from bloodless medicine?

The Family Health & Wellness Center by Dr. Singh team uses bloodless medicine to prepare patients for various surgical procedures, including:

• Organ transplants
• Cancer surgery
• Joint replacements
• Heart surgery
• Ostomy placement

Rather than using blood transfusions during these operations, the team works with patients one-on-one to increase their blood counts beforehand. This lets them avoid blood and other blood products altogether so they can recover more quickly and with fewer complications. 

What does bloodless medicine involve?

The team at Family Health & Wellness Center by Dr. Singh tailors bloodless medicine to each patient’s needs. Even so, the process often includes taking one or more prescription medications. These drugs help increase the production of red or white blood cells or hemoglobin and maximize the amount of oxygen your blood carries.

Depending on your needs, the team might prescribe:

• Iron (oral or intravenous)
• Interleukin-11 to boost platelet counts
• Aminocaproic acid to control bleeding
• Desmopressin to increase specific blood-clotting factors
• Blood substitutes to act as oxygen carriers

After taking these medications for several weeks, the team orders blood work to ensure your levels are within the healthy range. Once they are, you can move forward with surgery. 

Who should consider bloodless medicine?

Anyone who isn’t comfortable with blood transfusions or other blood-based procedures, either because of underlying health problems or religious beliefs, should consider bloodless medicine. 

During your initial consultation, the team explains the treatment process in depth, answers your questions, and conducts laboratory testing to ensure you’re a good candidate for a bloodless procedure.

Call the Family Health & Wellness Center by Dr. Singh to schedule a bloodless medicine consultation, or request your appointment online today.