Blood transfusion is critical to cardiothoracic operations and other complex surgical procedures. Optimal patient blood management is standard care that minimizes perioperative blood loss and mitigates both anemia and excessive allogeneic blood transfusion.1
The guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary panel of experts convened by the STS comprising members of the SCA, the AmSECT, and the SABM.2 The panel reviewed contemporary literature on patient blood management. All panel experts submitted conflict of interest disclosure forms, which were reviewed by the committee chair and STS staff. There were no relevant relationships with industry for any committee member (Table). The document was reviewed by the STS Workforce on Evidence-Based Surgery, the STS Council Operating Board on Quality, Research, and Patient Safety, and the Executive Committee. A 2-week member comment period was provided to the participating societies for feedback. The final document was reviewed by the boards of directors of the SCA and AmSECT prior to publication. The participating societies developed the guidelines without commercial support.