Li Y, et al. - Researchers systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from inception to November 2017 to assess the efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) on hemoglobin (Hb) levels observed during the whole perioperative period and in addition the volume of allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT), the risk of venous thromboembolism, and application frequency of ABT in hip and knee surgery. As per data, preoperative administration of EPO appeared to generally increase Hb levels during the whole perioperative period. However, the extent of the positive effects varies with time points. They found that EPO lessens the need for transfusion significantly in subjects undergoing hip or knee surgery without increasing the chance of developing thrombotic complications. In total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty, EPO offers an alternative blood management strategy.