title: Red cell transfusions and guidelines: a work in progress.
abstract: Blood transfusion utilization continues to rise, yet it has never undergone prospective safety and efficacy testing. Recent data regarding oxygen delivery, microcirculation, and inflammation all point toward potential problems with allogeneic transfusion. Outcome data from retrospective data bases are sobering, calling to question the present practices of red cell transfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1200 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0695, USA. bdspiess@hsc.vcu
authors.forename: Bruce D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Spiess
mesh_terms: D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen