Acute normovolemic hemodilution in patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists status I-II undergoing major liver resection may allow a significant number of patients to avoid exposure to allogeneic blood.

In patients undergoing major liver resection, the decision to introduce an epidural catheter and the timing of its removal should be made with care because of the prolonged changes in platelet count and in prothrombin time that develop in some patients.