title: Blood transfusions in cardiac surgery: indications, risks, and conservation strategies.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Arman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: gwhitman@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Glenn J R
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Whitman
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications; D057668:Bloodless Medical and Surgical Procedures; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
keywords: 19