The Commission on Cancer and the American Cancer Society: partners in cancer control.

When contemplating the transfusion of blood products (that is, red cells, platelets, and plasma proteins), the surgeon must always analyze the patient's clinical condition and not be influenced solely by laboratory tests. Risks associated with allogeneic blood products must be weighed, and alternatives such as autologous blood products and crystalloid and colloid solutions should be considered. Autologous blood can be collected weeks or months prior to elective surgery, immediately prior to surgery, intraoperatively, or postoperatively. The important things to remember about transfusion therapy are that: (a) the patient's clinical condition should dictate what blood product to transfuse and in what quantity; (b) temperature is a very important factor in transfusion therapy; and (c) washed filtered shed blood is safer than nonwashed filtered shed blood, although nonwashed filtered shed blood can be reinfused safely but in a smaller quantity.