When should a patient receive a transfuse of blood? What is an acceptable hemoglobin concentration in an ICU patient and should we use EPO?   Summer is a time when the blood banks often have a single day's worth of blood.  Perhaps with more conservative transfusion practices we can avoid or certainly help with some of the blood shortages.   Everyone wants to put patients on Epo, but does it increase the hemoglobin concentration enough to off set its high cost?