Peterborough Regional Health Centre One Hospital Drive ● Peterborough, ON ● K9J 7C6

Phone: 705-743-2121 www.prhc.on.ca

Media Backgrounder PRHC’s Blood Conservation Management Enhances Patient Care and Safety

Date: November 26, 2012 Blood Conservation Management Program Funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Blood Conservation Management Program is available in 25 hospitals across Ontario – PRHC is proud to be one of these hospitals. The goal of the program is to provide patients requiring surgery with information and options about the importance of blood management and conservation in an effort to reduce or eliminate the need for a blood transfusion during or after surgery. During your visit, the Blood Conservation nurse will take your blood and check your iron level (or hemoglobin). Once your blood results are available, the nurse will work with you to develop a plan that meets your personal needs. This may include changes to your diet, taking vitamins such as B12 and an iron supplement or intravenous iron and erythropoietin. The program’s inter-professional approach involves the medical lab technologists, nurses, physicians and family members and is designed to prevent anemia and decrease bleeding during and after surgery, while improving your recovery. Although, a blood transfusion is a lifesaving procedure, the Blood Conservation Management Program wants to make sure a transfusion is only used when medically appropriate or necessary in the management of your blood.

Key facts & figures • The Blood Conservation

Management Program is available in 25 Ontario Hospitals.

• The program saves Ontario

hospitals $39M each year. • The average blood

transfusion costs a hospital $1,400 and increases a patient’s stay in the hospital by 1.5 days.

• Benefits of a Blood

Conservation Management program include:

• Enhances a patient’s

speed of recovery

• Reduces a patients stay in hospital after surgery

• Reduces a patient’s exposure to infection

• Helps preserve the hospital’s blood supply

• Allows patients to be educated on their options regarding blood transfusions.

Peterborough Regional Health Centre One Hospital Drive ● Peterborough, ON ● K9J 7C6

Phone: 705-743-2121 www.prhc.on.ca

Interesting Facts

• Blood Conservation Management is a joint program between ONTrac and 25 of Ontario Hospitals.

• Patients requiring bone (e.g. Hip or knee replacement) or prostate surgery or any surgery that results in a 10% blood loss or more are required to visit the Blood Conservation Management Program weeks before their scheduled surgery to receive information on how they can “build” up their blood supply.

• The annual Blood Conservation Management program saves Ontario hospital $39M each year.

• A blood transfusion costs Ontario hospitals $1,400 and increases a patient’s length of stay in the hospital by 1.5 days.

• In 2011-12, the percentage of patients requiring a blood transfusion after surgery at PRHC vs. the provincial average.

Type of Surgery PRHC Provincial Average Knees 4.8% 10.1% Hips 4.8% 12.8%

Prostate 1.6% 7.7%

• The program empowers patients to take care of themselves and provides them with the necessary information to put them at ease prior to their surgery.

• The practice of “storing” you own blood prior to your surgery is not best practice, since the blood is considered “old” and not fresh. When blood becomes “old” it doesn’t carry oxygen as well.

• PRHC’s Blood Conservation Management program provides service to hospitals in Halliburton, Bancroft, Minden, Lindsay and Campbellford.

Questions and Answers What is Blood Conservation Management? Blood Conservation Management is a program designed to reduce or eliminate the need for a blood transfusion during or after your surgery. The inter-professional team will offer information and options that will allow you to “build up” your own blood supply.

Peterborough Regional Health Centre One Hospital Drive ● Peterborough, ON ● K9J 7C6

Phone: 705-743-2121 www.prhc.on.ca

Why does someone schedule for surgery need to see the Blood Conservation Management Program prior to his/her surgery? Many blood transfusions associated with surgery can be avoided with a little planning and preparation prior to your surgery. When you visit the Blood Conservation Management Program, a nurse will take you blood and check your blood levels (hemoglobin) for iron and B12. Once your results are available, the nurse will develop a plan that best meets your needs in an effort to decrease anemia and bleeding, while improving your recovery. Why is blood conservation management important? The benefits to blood conservation management include:

• Reducing a patient’s length of stay in the hospital after surgery • Improving a patient’s speed of recovery after surgery • Helps to reduce a patient’s exposure to infection • Helps preserve the hospital’s blood supply • Allows patients to be educated on their options regarding blood transfusions.

General PRHC is a state-of-the-art regional hospital providing care to 300,000 people in

Peterborough and surrounding counties. The hospital employees 2350 staff (including 2000 staff and 350 physicians and 600

volunteers. The hospital receives 210 ER visits per day (76,000 ER visits per year), perform over

16,900 surgeries annually and welcome 1,500 newborns per year.

-30- For More Information Amanda Roffey - Communications PRHC Tel: 705-743-2121 ext. 3659 Email: aroffey@prhc.on.ca www.prhc.on.ca