Savoring every drop – Vampire or Mosquito?

Blood safety with respect to infectious complications has reached very high standards. Nevertheless, reports on transfusion-associated morbidity and mortality gain momentum. Multidisciplinary patient blood management programs can minimize unnecessary exposure to allogeneic blood products by strengthening and conserving patients' own resources. This article outlines concepts designed to maintain hemoglobin concentration, to optimize hemostasis, and to minimize blood loss in ICUs. These measures prevent or at least alleviate hospital-acquired anemia, reduce the need for blood transfusions, and therefore have great potential to improve patient safety and medical outcome.