Jefferson surgeons employ “bloodless” surgical techniques whenever possible to eliminate the need for transfusion of blood and blood products during liver surgery.

The practice of bloodless medicine was first used by doctors who needed a way to treat patients who were Jehovah's Witnesses, and who did not believe in blood transfusions. However, today these techniques are being applied to all patients since doctors have found that bloodless surgery carries less risk of infection and immunologic complications as well as less postoperative recovery time.

In order to prepare patients for bloodless surgery, doctors build up the body's own reserve of blood components prior to an operation. They accomplish this by “pumping up” the blood with high-potency formulations of iron supplements and vitamins and erythropoietinbecome, a synthetic blood-building drug, to encourage the bone marrow to produce extra red blood cells. In addition, doctors plan surgery very carefully to make sure that blood loss is kept to a minimum.