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Published Guideline: CPOC Guideline for the Management of Anaemia in the Perioperative Pathway


Guideline for the Management of Anaemia in the Perioperative Pathway

Guideline Summary

Patient Info.

The Centre for Perioperative Care has now published the ‘Guideline for the Management of Anaemia in the Perioperative pathway.’ Anaemia is associated with adverse perioperative outcomes and is present in a third of patients having major surgery.

The impetus for this guideline is to bring together all the existing evidence in the first guideline of its kind for anaemia covering the full perioperative pathway with recommendations at each stage of the patient journey. The aim of this guideline is to ensure that the patient is at the centre of the whole process, and that everyone involved in their care carries out their individual responsibilities to minimise the risk from anaemia The guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary working group led by joint clinical leads, Professor Scarlett McNally and Dr Jugdeep Dhesi CPOC Deputy Directors. The group encompassed representatives from over twenty organisations involved across the perioperative pathway in the care of patients living with anaemia alongside patient and lay involvement.

This guidance includes elective (planned) surgery and emergency (urgent) surgery. It applies to people of all ages, but specifically to two main groups of patients:

  • People planned to have major surgery, with expected blood loss of over 500ml or 10% of their blood volume, who are anaemic or at risk of becoming anaemic
  • People having less major surgery, who have been identified as having anaemia

The guideline is written for healthcare professionals involved in delivering care throughout the pathway, as well as for patients and their carers, managers and commissioners. Implementation of the guideline will require collaboration across the four nations of the United Kingdom between all stakeholders, underpinned by an implementation strategy. We believe this guideline is an important step in improving outcomes for our anaemic patients and healthcare services.

The guideline is the third of many that CPOC will lead on and publish to advance the development of perioperative care transforming surgical pathways to the benefit of patients and clinicians alike, boosting service efficiency and reducing the burden of post-surgical complications through multidisciplinary working and seamless integrated perioperative care.

Please find a full copy of the guidance available here.

07 September 2022 Centre for Perioperative Care

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