Transfusion Medicine
The safe, appropriate use of blood and blood products — from transfusion support during cancer treatment to managing transfusion-dependent conditions. Care guided by decades of practice and current transfusion standards.
How I approach this
Much of cancer and blood care depends on getting transfusion right. I oversee the safe, appropriate use of blood and blood products — supporting you through treatment and managing transfusion-dependent conditions to current standards.
What I treat
Transfusion
Transfusion support during treatment
Chemotherapy and many blood diseases drop your blood counts. I keep your red cells and platelets safely supported so your treatment never has to pause for the wrong reasons.
Transfusion-dependent anemia
When the body cannot keep up its own red cells, regular transfusions restore your energy and quality of life. I plan them around you and watch for the long-term effects.
Thalassemia
An inherited anemia I manage long-term with a careful transfusion schedule and iron control, so you can live a full and active life.
Beta-thalassemia · Alpha-thalassemia
Iron overload
Repeated transfusions can leave too much iron in the body. I monitor it and use iron-chelation therapy to protect your heart, liver, and glands.
I check iron levels regularly and adjust chelation early, before any organ is affected.
Low platelets (thrombocytopenia)
When platelets fall too low to stop bleeding, I provide platelet transfusion support and treat the underlying cause.
Aplastic anemia
When the bone marrow stops making enough blood cells, I combine transfusion support with treatment aimed at restarting healthy production.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do you give second opinions on a diagnosis or a treatment plan started elsewhere?
- Yes. Professor Bitar regularly reviews diagnoses and treatment plans begun elsewhere, whether you’d like reassurance that you’re on the right path or a fresh look at the options. Bring your existing reports and he’ll go through them with you carefully and explain what he would advise.
- How will my test results be shared and explained to me?
- Your results are reviewed with you, in person or by call for follow-ups, so they’re always explained in plain language and in context, never left as numbers on a page. Anything urgent is communicated to you as soon as it becomes available.
- Where is treatment such as chemotherapy or infusions given?
- Consultations take place at the main clinic in Zaarour Center, and treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or infusions are given in the hospital’s day-care unit under Professor Bitar’s supervision, with the nursing team beside you. He also consults at Khoury Hospital. Keeping everything connected means your care stays consistent from visit to visit.