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Englewood Hospital Marks 15 Years of Leadership in Improving Patient Outcomes Through Bloodless Medicine and Surgery

Posted on: Tuesday, 10 March 2009, 12:40 CDT

ENGLEWOOD, N.J., March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Institute for Patient Blood Management and Bloodless Medicine and Surgery (formerly the NJ Institute for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery) at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The new name reflects the Institute's commitment to the comprehensive management of patient blood and blood products to improve patient outcomes.

Since the 1994 inception of the Institute, Englewood Hospital has established itself as a world-recognized leader in patient blood management. This initiative, which is gaining increased attention from the global medical community, seeks to reduce the risks and costs associated with blood transfusion by providing effective alternatives.

Medical professionals from leading institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins, Massachusetts General and others from the U.S. and abroad have visited Englewood Hospital to learn how its physicians use proven, effective alternatives to transfusion to improve patient outcomes. In fact, the U.S. government has consulted with Englewood Hospital about applying blood management techniques in catastrophic situations when little or no blood is available.

A number of factors are driving the medical community's increased interest in Patient Blood Management:

• Transfusion-associated risks are many. Although concerns about transfusion-transmitted AIDS and hepatitis have been all but eradicated thanks to more extensive and sophisticated testing, many negative outcomes are still associated with blood transfusion, including viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections; conditions such as transfusion-related lung injury (TRALI); and increased complications and death rates.
• Costs of blood transfusion continue to rise. Blood supply is shrinking due to stringent parameters for which blood is accepted. At the same time, demand is growing, due to increasingly complex surgical procedures and an aging population. This leads to an inadequate blood supply and increasing costs.

"Given the range of transfusion-associated risks, physicians should no longer be used as the default procedure for treating or preventing anemia before, during or after surgery," noted Aryeh Shander, M.D., Chief of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and Executive Medical Director of the Institute for Patient Blood Management. "There are highly effective alternatives to blood transfusion available that we use here at Englewood Hospital very successfully, with significantly improved patient outcomes."

"A strong commitment to the practice of bloodless medicine and surgery is one of the key reasons why Englewood Hospital has such excellent cardiac outcomes," said Richard Goldweit, M.D., FACC, Chief of Cardiology at Englewood Hospital.

Englewood Hospital was number one in New Jersey and number three nationwide for 30-day heart attack survival among Medicare patients, according to a 2008 government study. The Medical Center's mortality rates for coronary bypass surgery are among the lowest in the state, with a 100% survival rate on three of the last four Cardiac Report Cards issued by the NJ DOHSS.

"In addition to preventing bleeding during procedures, advanced planning and follow up are crucial to maintain optimal blood counts and the best medical outcomes," noted Dr. Goldweit.

About Aryeh Shander, M.D.:

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Chief of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine Aryeh Shander, M.D., is Executive Medical Director of the hospital's Institute for Patient Blood Management and Bloodless Medicine and Surgery, which seeks to improve patient outcomes through the effective management of blood. An internationally respected expert and author of numerous books and studies on blood management, Dr. Shander lectures in the U.S. and abroad and is a founding member of the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management (SABM).

About Englewood Hospital and Medical Center:

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center provides patients with the highest level of compassionate care through a broad range of state-of-the-art clinical programs and the most advanced treatments and diagnostic services. To learn more, visit englewoodhospital.com.

SOURCE Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

Source: PR Newswire

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