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The Blood Conservation Program at Kettering Health Network is a special service provided since 2008 for patients who wish to avoid the use of donor blood during medical and surgical procedures. There are many reasons you may prefer a transfusion-free treatment method. You may hold a religious conviction that prevents you from receiving blood transfusions. Or you might feel more comfortable knowing that with bloodless techniques, you virtually eliminate the risk of blood borne illnesses such as hepatitis or HIV. Our state-of-the-art technology combined with our highly skilled physicians, surgeons, and entire patient care staff provides the highest quality medical care possible – without blood transfusions.

Thanks to advances in equipment and technology, doctors can safely and successfully perform a multitude of procedures, ranging from routine appendectomies to complex orthopedic and open-heart surgeries, without using blood transfusions.

With the use of the harmonic scalpel, intra-operative blood salvage (cell saver), argon beam coagulator, lasers, electrocautery and the aquamantys blood loss, is kept to a minimum in the operating room.

When you are scheduled for surgery at Kettering and Sycamore Medical Centers, you can refuse blood products, and will be provided information for the Blood Conservation Program. If you know of an upcoming surgery and would like more information, you may call the program coordinator at 1-800-426-3812.

You will receive a special armband to wear that says "NO BLOOD" on it, a sticker is placed on the front of your chart and you will be asked to sign the blood conservation options directive.

We have developed a menu of options for blood products and fractions of products. You will have the ability to choose what you want or do not want.

There are approximately 160 programs in the United States. Kettering Health Network offers the only program in Southwestern Ohio.

• Whole Blood
• Whole Blood Fractions
• Red Blood Cells
• White Blood Cells
• Plasma
• Platelets