WFSA’s Member Societies, Regional Sections and partners work together to strengthen Patient Blood Management policies and practices worldwide.
Patient blood management addresses the problems of anaemia, blood loss and coagulopathy. It is a patient-centred, systematic, evidence-based approach to improve patient outcomes by managing a patient’s own blood through diagnosis and aetiology-specific treatment of anaemia and preserving the patient’s own blood by minimizing blood loss and bleeding while promoting patient safety and empowerment (WHO, 2021).
As well as improving patient outcomes analysis shows that it is a cost-effective resource efficient process that reduces dependency on risky and complicated transfusions.
The overarching aim of PBM is to improve patient outcomes while saving healthcare resources and reducing costs. In 2010, PBM was endorsed by the World Health Assembly Resolution WHA63.12.
A universal approach to PBM
Over the past year, WFSA has been leading innovative work in the field of PBM. A milestone event came in October 2022, when our Member Societies in Latin America signed the Santa Cruz Declaration. The declaration highlights the debilitating impact of iron deficiency, anaemia, bleeding, and coagulation disorders on both national public health services and the communities they serve.
In response, the declaration signatories call for the implementation of the Patient Blood Management principles in the perioperative period, through its three fundamental pillars:
- Detection and management of anaemia and iron deficiency
- Minimisation of blood loss and optimisation of coagulation
- Improvement and optimisation of physiological tolerance to anaemia
The declaration calls for stakeholders including professional bodies and national governments to create and implement a standardized, sustainable, systematic, multidisciplinary and multi-professional policy aimed at preserving the patient’s own blood.
Download the Santa Cruz Declaration
To build the momentum behind this movement WFSA is inviting Member Societies to endorse the Declaration by signing and sending us a letter of support. An editable letter of support is available for download.
Download a letter of endorsement template
This endorsement process will culminate at WCA 2024 with a launch ceremony and a formal handover of letters of support to the new WFSA President.
Declaration endorsements
Listed below are the member societies and partners who have endorsed the Santa Cruz Declaration by submitting a letter of support. To join the below list please send your letter of support to lauren.hyland@wfsahq.org
| Country | Organisation |
| ARGENTINA | Federación Argentina de Asociaciones de Anestesia, Analgesia y Reanimación |
| AUSTRALIA | Australian Society of Anaesthetists |
| BELGIUM | European Patient Safety Foundation EUPSF |
| BOLIVIA | Sociedad Boliviana de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Dolor |
| BRAZIL | Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia |
| BULGARIA | Bulgarian Society of Anaesthesiologists |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | Czech Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine |
| CHILE | Sociedad de Anestesiología de Chile |
| COLOMBIA | Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación |
| COSTA RICA | Asociación de Médicos Anestesiólogos de Costa Rica |
| CROATIA | Croatian Association of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine |
| DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Sociedad Dominicana de Anestesiología |
| ECUADOR | Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Anestesiología |
| EGYPT | Egyptian Society of Anaesthesiologists |
| EL SALVADOR | Asociación de Médicos Anestesiólogos de El Salvador |
| EUROPE | European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) |
| GERMANY | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Anaesthesiologie und Intensivmedizin e.V. |
| GERMANY | Foundation for Health, Patient Safety and Patient Blood Management |
| GLOBAL | Network for the advancement of Patient Blood Management, Haemostasis and Thrombosis (NATA) |
| GUATEMALA | Asociación Guatemalteca de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Tratamiento del Dolor |
| HONDURAS | Sociedad Hondureňa de Anestesiología, Reanimacíon y Dolor |
| HUNGARY | Hungarian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy |
| INDIA | Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists |
| INDIA | SAARC Association of Anaesthesiologists |
| IRAN | Iranian Society of Anaesthesiologists and Critical Care |
| ITALY | Società Italiana di Anestesia Analgesia Rianimazione e Terapia Intensiva |
| JAPAN | Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists |
| LATIN AMERICA | Confederation of Latin American Societies of Anaesthesiology (CLASA) |
| LATVIA | Association of Anaesthesiologists-Reanimatologists of Latvia |
| LEBANON | Lebanese Society of Anesthesiologists |
| MALAYSIA | Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists |
| MALTA | Association of Anaesthesiologists of Malta |
| MEXICO | Federacion Mexicana de Colegios de Anestesiologia A.C. |
| MOLDOVA | Society of Anaesthesiology and Reanimatology of the Republic of Moldova |
| MOROCCO | Moroccan Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Critical Care (SMAAR) |
| NEPAL | Society of Anaesthesiologists of Nepal |
| NICARAGUA | Asociación Nicaraguense de Anestesiología y Reanimación |
| NIGERIA | Nigerian Society of Anaesthetists |
| NORWAY | Norwegian Association of Anaesthesiologists (NAF) |
| PANAMA | Sociedad Panameña de Anestesiología |
| PAPUA NEW GUINEA | Society of Anaesthetists of Papua New Guinea |
| PARAGUAY | Sociedad Paraguaya de Anestesiología |
| PERU | Sociedad Peruana de Anestesia, Analgesia y Reanimación |
| PHILIPPINES | Philippine Society of Anaesthesiologists |
| ROMANIA | Romanian Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care |
| RUSSIA | Russian Federation of Anaesthesiologists and Reanimatologists |
| SENEGAL | Societé Sénégalaise d’Anesthésie-Réanimation et de Médicine d’Urgence |
| SINGAPORE | Singapore Society of Anaesthesiologists (SSA) |
| SLOVAKIA | Slovak Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Medicine |
| SOUTH AFRICA | South African Society of Anaesthesiologists |
| SPAIN | Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor (SEDAR) |
| SRI LANKA | College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists of Sri Lanka |
| TURKEY | Turkish Anaesthesiology and Reanimation Society |
| UNITED KINGDOM | Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland |
| URUGUAY | Sociedad de Anestesiología del Uruguay |
| VENEZUELA | Sociedad Venezolana de Anestesiología |
PBM at WCA 2024
As well as the launch ceremony, PBM was a major component at WCA. We had a PBM-focused scientific session, two hands-on training sessions, as well as a range of PBM-related ‘pop-up’ talks and short masterclasses at the WFSA Hub in the Global Anaesthesia Village.
We were also delighted to unveil aspects of the new WFSA Perioperative PBM training programme. This includes a two-day facilitator course for anaesthesiologists only, followed by a one-day multidisciplinary course for wider clinical teams.
