Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program Comes to Baptist Medical Center Beaches
Seminar on May 5 to Cover Bloodless Medical Procedures and Other Topics

Jacksonville, Florida, April 11, 2007 -- Joining Baptist Medical Center Downtown and Baptist Medical Center South, Bloodless Medicine and Surgery is now available at Baptist Medical Center Beaches. With its state-of-the-art technology and highly trained staff, Baptist Beaches offers all of bloodless medicine's advantages. Since Baptist Health established a Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program in 2001, more than 12,000 patients have taken advantage of its services.

Religious convictions and concerns about the safety of the blood supply are only a few reasons for choosing bloodless medicine and surgery. Bloodless medicine is more than simply an alternative for people who wish to avoid using donated blood.

"Patients usually recover more rapidly after having bloodless procedures, compared to people who have surgeries that use donated blood," says Gary Butler, program manager. "Faster recovery times can mean shorter hospital stays and reduced costs. Heart, orthopaedic, gynecological and urological surgeries can all be performed safely and effectively using bloodless techniques."

Bloodless medical and surgical procedures are performed at the three Baptist Health hospitals using the following tools:

Harmonic scalpel, laser, argon beam coagulator, electrocautery and the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System - Devices used during surgery to reduce blood loss.

Intra-operative/post-operative blood salvage (Cell Saver) and hemodilution - Salvages, filters and recirculates the patient’s own blood.

Pharmaceuticals - Synthetic erythropoietin (EPO) stimulates bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Recombinant products build white blood cells and hemostatic agents promote coagulation.

Volume expanders - Intravenous fluids that enhance the circulation of a patient's own blood.

Transcutaneous oxygen monitoring and pulse oximetry - Noninvasively tracks oxygen levels during surgery and hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Baptist Medical Center Downtown has the only multiplace hyperbaric chamber in Northeast Florida.

Blood conservation techniques - Microsampling techniques dramatically reduce the amount of blood taken from the patient for analytic testing.

Minimally invasive surgery - Advancement in technology allows procedures to be performed through a natural opening or a small "keyhole" incision. Minimally invasive procedures promote less blood loss, less pain, a shorter hospital stay and cosmetic benefits for the patient.

Gamma Knife - The region's only Gamma Knife Center provides a noninvasive alternative to patients with malignant and benign brain tumors, vascular malformations and trigeminal neuralgia.

Interventional radiology - State-of-the-art minimally invasive interventional radiology lab for procedures such as: fibroid embolization, liver ablation, aortic endograph, minimally invasive cancer treatment and vertebroplasty

Cardiologist Pamela Rama, MD, who practices at Baptist Beaches in addition to other Baptist Health facilities, says this is a great option for patients. "We are getting more and more requests from patients who don't want to use blood products, for a number of reasons," she says. "They will benefit from innovative bloodless options. I'm glad bloodless medicine and surgery is at Baptist Beaches."

A series of workshops covering medical procedures, blood fractions and Durable Power of Attorney is being offered; presented in small group settings, these will allow time for personal experience and a high level of participation. Registration is free, but participation is limited to 50 seats per workshop. To reserve your seat, call 904.202.2141.

The next workshop is on:
Saturday, May 5, 2007, 2-4 pm
Baptist Medical Center South, Camellia Room
14550 Old St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, Florida

To register, please contact gary.butler@bmcjax.com, or warren.behr@bmcjax.com, or call 904.202.2141.