SABM Header
Letter from the President
News & Events
Featured Affiliates
Standards Showcase
Breaking Clinical News
Continuing Education
Members / Mentors
SABM Spotlight

MAY 2020
ISSUE


Donate to SABM


Please consider making a donation to your Society. Your donations will help us to improve the lives of people throughout the world through Patient Blood Management.


SABM 2020 Newsletter Publication 

Editor: Kevin T. Wright
Associate Editor: Majed Refaai, MD

Contributors for This Issue

Christine Cahill, RN, MS
Ann Marie Gordon, PA-C, MLS (ASCP)
Beverly Khaek-On, BSN, RN

Mary Ann O'Brien, RN, MSN, CCRN, CNE

Sherri Ozawa, RN
Seth Perelman, MD, FASA
Majed Refaai, MD
Cassandra Upchurch, RN
Sarah Walbolt, BSN, RN
Kevin T. Wright

Marketing
Tim Bower, CAE

SABM Officers and
Directors 


© 2020 Society for the Advancement of Blood Management
350 Engle Street
Englewood, NJ 07631 USA
Phone: (928) 551-6400
Fax: (877) 944-2272
EMAIL: [email protected]

Featured Affiliates

Center for Transfusion-Free Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Center for Transfusion-Free Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital was established over 22 years ago by Dr. Patricia Ford, and is one of the first Transfusion-Free Medicine programs. It has developed into a robust and comprehensive program with administrative and clinical engagement throughout the hospital. The program has partnered with the existing Blood Utilization committee to form the Patient Blood Management/Blood Utilization Committee, established with the purpose of:

  • Managing utilization of blood products including distribution, handling, and safety.
  • Developing a multidisciplinary patient centered approach to anemia, coagulation and blood conservation using evidenced based medical and surgical strategies; aimed at achieving better patient outcomes and more appropriate blood product utilization.
  • Improving blood utilization and outcomes by decreasing use and complications; implementation of education, research and evidence based practice. 

Dr. Ford is also the Medical Director of the Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Program, and has treated over 330 patients, with over 200 being bloodless autologous stem cell transplants. Pennsylvania Hospital is the first Center to successfully complete this procedure without the use of a blood transfusion, and currently maintains a mortality rate of less than 2%.

Our Anemia Clinic has improved patient outcomes by identifying and correcting anemia, and optimizing hemoglobin prior to surgery. Recent studies on our Anemia Clinic have provided evidence that mortality of cardiovascular surgery patients decreases when exposure to blood transfusion is eliminated (Barlow, Upchurch, Ford, & Furukawa, 2018). Also, OB/GYN patients had significantly reduced incidence of post-partum hemorrhage and use of blood transfusion if anemia is corrected prior to delivery (Upchurch, Lynch, Brock, & Ford, 2019). The Anemia Clinic optimized hemoglobin in both groups, showing the tolerance and benefits of anemia management.

Our Transfusion-Free Medicine program provides resources, educational services, and coordination of care throughout the health system, and currently manages 250-400 patient encounters per month. In addition to meeting with providers. Recently physicians from China, Malaysia, and Nigeria have visited for temporary residency to learn medical and surgical strategies for Transfusion-Free Medicine and Patient Blood Management.

We have benefited in learning from our patients and other providers. We plan to continue in contributing to the ongoing education of Transfusion-Free Medicine and Patient Blood Management. 

Contributor: Cassandra Upchurch, RN, Manager & Nurse Navigator

Online Certificate Course

SABM Research Grant

Donate to SABM Research Grant

Anesthesia & Analgesia

Consider submitting your future manuscripts in PBM for peer review and publication in this new section. The success of this endeavor will depend on the provision of material to make it lively and attractive to our colleagues and other professionals in the field.

Members Invited to Submit Papers CLICK HERE