Procrit can reduce the need for red blood cell transfusions in patients undergoing which context?

• A. Certain types of surgery
• B. During infection
• C. During dehydration
• D. For chronic pain

Answer: (A)

Procrit (epoetin alfa) works by signaling the bone marrow to make more red blood cells, raising hemoglobin when anemia is present. This is especially helpful in surgeries where significant blood loss is expected, because boosting the red cell count beforehand can reduce how much donor blood is needed during or after the operation. The other situations don’t involve using a medication to stimulate red blood cell production to cut transfusion needs, so they aren’t the context where Procrit is most useful.