Table 1 Exclusion criteria for participation of hospitals and patients

- Hospitals considering to abandon the use of EPO or blood salvage on their own initiative

- Hospitals participating in trials that interfere with the use or the discontinuation of EPO or blood salvage

- Hospitals in which orthopedic surgeons or anesthesiologists are employed who are also employed at another participating hospital or hospitals with partnerships with another participating hospital

- Hospitals that perform less than 50 THA or TKA within 5 months

- Bilateral surgery

- Revision surgery

- Patients with a malignancy (except skin cancer or cured cancers)

- A serious disorder of the coronary, peripheral and/or carotid arteries, a recent myocardial infarction or CVA (past 6 months)

- Untreated hypertension (diastolic BP >95 mmHg)

- Patients with a pregnancy

- Patients with a coagulation disorder

- Patients refusing or with a contraindication for allogeneic blood transfusions

- Patients with untreated anemia, Hb <10 g/dl