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Risky Business? The Relative Infectious Risks of Blood Transfusion
Every medical intervention has an inherent risk. Blood transfusion is no exception. Physicians must know the risks versus benefits of therapeutic modalities for each specific patient treated....
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The Storage Lesion: The saga continues!
Early this year I discussed the potential implications of the “storage lesion” for RBC transfusions in a previous blog post, The Storage Lesion, Soldier On and Stay Tuned. Several studies were cited...
View ArticleThe Rise of “Designer” Blood Products: 4 Factor PCCs
Blood factor concentrates are not new, but most U.S. physicians are only vaguely familiar with them. Single or multiple blood factor concentrates were originally developed to treat patients with...
View ArticlePacked Red Blood Cell Transfusions and Health Care Associated Infections
Rohde J et al. Health care-associated infection after red blood cell transfusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 2014; 311: 1317-1326 Transfusion of blood products is the most common...
View ArticleInfuse Platelets as Slowly as Medically Necessary
Bacterial contamination of platelet products is a serious risk of transfusion. As many as 1 in every 1000 units may be contaminated from the introduction of low concentrations of skin bacteria at the...
View ArticleNursing roles in blood management
Improving patient safety should always be the top priority in patient care. When we expose patients to blood transfusion we expose them to the risk of harm. Nurses can improve the safety of transfused...
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Pathogen Reduction Systems Attain FDA Approval
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deploys a five-layer system to safeguard the volunteer-driven blood system: (1) Donor screening (upfront information about donor eligibility and specific and...
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The Storage Lesion: Soldier on and stay tuned!
Transfusion has been a mainstay of patient care for years. It is identified as the #1 procedure performed in hospitals.1 The development and ultimate use of specific blood components has provided...
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Anemia Management in ESRD: On the Horns of a Dilemma
Recently, I have had several queries and personal communications regarding a perceived increase in RBC transfusions for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis. The literature is...
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A Precarious Position
In July, Strategic Healthcare Group will be highlighting information on antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications, both old and new. The webinar and the Ask-the-Expert segment, will focus not only on...
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