Treatment of Anemia

In this chapter we will review anemia in traumatic brain injury (TBI), the pathophysiology of anemia, the effects of anemia on outcome, the physiology of transfusion, and the relationship between red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) and outcome. The role of hematopoiesis-stimulating agents and hemoglobin-based blood substitutes will be briefly considered, and the chapter will conclude with a suggested approach to anemia management in TBI. Coagulation, coagulopathy, and the administration of other blood products (e.g., platelets or coagulation factors) are beyond the scope of this chapter.