‘Fit to fly’: overcoming barriers to preoperative haemoglobin optimization in surgical patients.

This is a most interesting review on patient blood management (PBM) authored by experts in the field.

The authors review 10 common unsubstantiated misconceptions regarding preoperative anaemia management, including misconceptions on its incidence, on the risks it poses to patients and on the difficulty of managing it prior to surgery. Such unsubstantiated misconceptions constitute serious barriers for a wider implementation of preoperative haemoglobin optimisation, probably the most important component of PBM.

The authors highlight the ways in which institutions and clinicians can implement effective PBM strategies. A must read for all those interested in PBM and who wish to improve perioperative practice. The accompanying editorial supports and reinforces the recommendations made by Muñoz and co-authors.

– Jean-François Hardy