Rx For Good Health In The Community - Trinitas Hospital

Spotlight On:Bloodless Medicine and SurgeryProgram Professionals attend Annual Meetingpage 11Leon Pirak, MD, Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Trinitas Hospital and medical director of BloodlessMedicine and Surgery program, and program manager, Sharon Sledge, MA, MS, RNC, recently attended the annual meetingof the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management (SABM) in Jersey City.Nearly 500 physicians, bloodless program managers, hospital administrators and other allied health professionals fromacross the country and around the world attended. This meeting provided an opportunity for Dr. Pirak and Sharon to hearthe latest developments in blood management and also served as a valuable forum for information sharing and networking.Among the topics that were covered were advances in iron metabolism, anemia and cardiac disease, blood safety, integratingblood management into the hospital mainstream and clinical practice guidelines for blood components.“This professional meeting was very helpful for us. Presentations on subjects such asblood management in critical care were particularly timely for us as one of the goals of theBloodless Medicine and Surgery Program at Trinitas is to improve blood utilizationpractices in the ICU,” explained Sharon.Dr. Pirak reports that, thanks to the hospital’s multi-disciplinary approach to bloodconservation and the resulting reduction of known and unknown risks associated withblood transfusions, “more and more patients are gaining extraordinary health benefitsassociated with the state-of-art techniques in bloodless medicine.”He further explained that technologies and medications that can improve a patient’sblood profile, combined with the hospital’s skilled health care team can decrease, andoften eliminate, the need for blood transfusions during treatment. According toDr. Pirak, many patients who choose the Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Programat Trinitas experience reduced length of stay and less stress associated with bloodtransfusions, both of which are “welcome advances.”Sharon Sledge, RN, who shares the commitment to reduce the exposure to donatedblood, assists patients throughout their stay. “Once a patient informs the hospital ofhis/her desire for bloodless care, all personnel involved in the treatment are made aware ofthe patient’s choice,” she noted, adding “as a major healthcare provider in Union County,Trinitas Hospital will continue to address the critical shortage of blood and the community’s concerns about bloodtransfusion. We are dedicated to providing cost effective quality care in a compassionate and supportive environment forpatients who desire blood conservation medical and surgical management.”Dr. Pirak and Sharon recently appeared onMayor J. Christian Bollwage’s “Our City” cableinterview show to present information to viewersabout the Bloodless Medicine and Surgeryprogram.Above:Pictured here isone of the bloodconservationdevices in usein the operatingroom.For more information onthe Bloodless Medicineand Surgery Programcall (908) 994-5458.Sharon Sledge, RN, and Leon Pirak, MD