Executive summary

• Patient Blood Management Guidelines: Module 2 - Perioperative
• Summary of recommendations and practice points

This document, Patient Blood Management Guidelines: Module 2 – Perioperative, is the second in a series of six modules that focus on evidence-based patient blood management. The other five modules are critical bleeding/massive transfusion, medical, critical care, obstetrics and paediatrics (including neonates). Together, the six modules supersede the 2001 National Health and Medical Research Council/Australasian Society of Blood Transfusion (NHMRC/ASBT) Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Use of Blood Components. 1

This document was developed by a Clinical/Consumer Reference Group (CRG) representing specialist colleges, organisations and societies, with the active participation of the clinical community.

This Executive summary includes:

• a summary of the recommendations that were developed by the CRG, based on evidence from a systematic review
• a summary of the practice points that were developed by the CRG through consensus decision making
• a preoperative anaemia management algorithm template.

Details of the systematic reviews used in the development of this module, for which the search cut-off dates were in mid-2009, are given in the technical reports that accompany this document. 2–5

Materials relevant to consumers and to clinicians undertaking surgery will be developed to accompany this module; these materials will be available online and in print.