Blood Transfusion Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Blood Transfusion, including details on blood donation, blood types, leukemia.

Clinical outcomes in cardiac surgery: conventional surgery versus bloodless surgery.

Shander A, Rijhwani TS

Mount Sinai Hospital, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA. Aryeh.Shander@ehmc.com

Bleeding during and after cardiac operations and the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass hemodilution commonly result in blood transfusions. Excessive microvascular bleeding can result in re-exploration and prolonged hospitalization. Nearly 20% of all blood transfusions in the United States are associated with cardiac surgery. The risks associated with the use of allogeneic blood product transfusion include mistransfusion, immunologic complications, and transmission of infectious diseases. The large demand for blood products places significant pressure on the national blood supply, resulting in frequent shortages. The variability in transfusion practice of cardiac surgery patients suggests that sound blood management and a conservative approach to this population can result in reduced transfusions without increasing morbidity or mortality and avoiding complications associated with allogeneic blood transfusion.

Published 30 May 2005 in Anesthesiol Clin North America, 23(2): 327-45, vii.
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