OAKLAND, Calif., (UPI) — A new practice in the U.S. medical community is focused on controlling the loss of blood in surgeries to the point of making blood transfusions unnecessary.

The San Francisco Chronicle said Friday that surgeons have begun using medication to control the loss of blood during surgeries and have been able to collect any pooling blood through a new “cell-saver” machine.

The revolutionary medical procedure is aided by medication, given prior to surgery to raise a patient’s blood count significantly.

While previously thought to be a risky procedure, Stanford University Medical Center Director of Transfusion Services Dr. Lawrence Goodnough said such surgeries are becoming increasingly safer.

“There’s no conflict between the avoidance of blood and an excellent patient outcome: They go hand in hand,” he said.

The newspaper said that the advanced procedure originally came about as a reaction to patients’ religious beliefs against the use of blood transfusions.

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