Blood Transfusions in Cardiac Surgery: Indications, Risks, and Conservation Strategies

Although red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are frequently used in cardiac operations, an increasing amount of data has demonstrated deleterious consequences. Consequently, the appropriate use of this limited resource is unclear. In this review, we discuss the relationship between anemia and the outc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Annals of thoracic surgery Vol. 97; no. 2; pp. 726 - 734
Main Authors Kilic, Arman, MD, Whitman, Glenn J.R., MD
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.02.2014
Subjects
Anemia - complications
Bloodless Medical and Surgical Procedures
Cardiac Surgical Procedures
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Erythrocyte Transfusion - adverse effects
Humans
Postoperative Complications - etiology
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Risk Assessment
Surgery
Transfusion Reaction
19
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Summary:Although red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are frequently used in cardiac operations, an increasing amount of data has demonstrated deleterious consequences. Consequently, the appropriate use of this limited resource is unclear. In this review, we discuss the relationship between anemia and the outcomes of cardiac surgical procedures, the risks associated with RBC transfusion, and the impact of blood transfusions on mortality and morbidity after cardiac operations. The review concludes with a discussion of randomized trials comparing restrictive versus liberal transfusion strategies and a consideration of blood conservation techniques.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
content type line 23
ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:0003-4975
1552-6259
DOI:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2013.08.016