ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the health issues related to blood. It also explains the causes, pathophysiology, clinical features, preoperative assessment and management. These issues include anaemia, blood loss and replacement, disseminated intravascular coagulation, erythrocytosis (polycythaemia), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, inherited coagulopathies, massive transfusion and blood loss, mastocytosis, multiple myeloma, primary immune thrombocytopaenia, sickle cell syndrome and thalassaemia. Anaemia is a common condition with a prevalence of >10" in those aged over 65 years. Preoperative anaemia and allogeneic blood transfusion are independent risk factors for adverse patient outcome following surgery. Disseminated intravascular coagulation involves widespread activation of those haemostatic mechanisms that normally operate locally to halt bleeding from injured vessels. Erythrocytosis is defined as an increase in red blood cell mass. Congenital disorders of coagulation are caused by genetic mutations that result in deficiencies in specific clotting factors or their carrier molecules. Mastocytosis is a heterogeneous group of disorders.
