RBC Transfusions Are Associated With Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in Pediatric ARDS

RBC transfusion was independently associated with longer duration of mechanical ventilation in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome. Hemoglobin transfusion thresholds should be tested specifically within pediatric... read more

No Bleeding Required: Anemia Detection via Smartphone

Biomedical engineers have developed a smartphone app with the aim of non-invasive detection of anemia. Instead of a blood test, the app uses photos of someone's fingernails taken on a smartphone to determine whether the level... read more

Mortality of civilian patients with suspected traumatic hemorrhage receiving pre-hospital transfusion of packed red blood cells compared to pre-hospital crystalloid

In a single centre UK HEMS study, in patients with suspected traumatic hemorrhage who received a PRBC transfusion there was an observed, but non-significant, reduction in mortality at 6 h and 28 days, also reflected in... read more

Plasma Volume, Tissue Oedema, and the Steady-state Starling Principle

The Michel–Weinbaum steady-state Starling principle has important consequences for clinical practice. The hope that biophysical intravascular colloid therapy with albumin or plasma substitutes can deliver plasma volume... read more

Whole Blood – More than the Sum of Its Components?

This retrospective analysis was conducted in a US Military population across 6 combat hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan between January 2004 and October 2007. Patient's transfused at least 1 unit RBCs met inclusion criteria... read more

Early Noninvasive Ventilation and Nonroutine Transfusion for Acute Chest Syndrome in Sickle Cell Disease in Children

Early noninvasive ventilation combined with nonroutine transfusion is well tolerated in acute chest syndrome in children and may spare transfusion in some patients. Early recognition of patients still requiring transfusion... read more

Emergency Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage – The Golden Hour

There is a kind of self-fulfilling prognostic pessimism when it comes to Intracerebral Hemorrhage. And this pessimism sometimes leads to less than optimal care in patients who otherwise might have had a reasonably good outcome... read more

Targeting Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury

We propose that the most promising therapeutic strategies to explore are interleukin-10 therapy, down-modulating C-reactive protein levels, targeting reactive oxygen species, or blocking the interleukin-8 receptors; all focused... read more

Age of Red Cells for Transfusion and Outcomes in Critically Ill Adults

The age of transfused red cells did not affect 90-day mortality among critically ill adults. In an international, multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial, we assigned critically ill adults to receive either the freshest... read more

Should Transfusion Trigger Thresholds Differ for Critical Care vs Perioperative Patients?

The safety of restrictive transfusion strategies likely differs for critically ill patients versus perioperative patients. Further trials investigating transfusion strategies in the perioperative setting are necessary. The... read more

The Relationship between Clinical Experience and Quality of Health Care

Physicians with more experience are generally believed to have accumulated knowledge and skills during years in practice and therefore to deliver high-quality care. However, evidence suggests that there is an inverse relationship... read more

Restrictive or Liberal Red-Cell Transfusion for Cardiac Surgery

In patients undergoing cardiac surgery who were at moderate-to-high risk for death, a restrictive strategy regarding red-cell transfusion was noninferior to a liberal strategy with respect to the composite outcome of death... read more

Promoting High-Value Practice by Reducing Unnecessary Transfusions With a Patient Blood Management Program

Although blood transfusion is a lifesaving therapy for some patients, transfusion has been named 1 of the top 5 overused procedures in US hospitals. As unnecessary transfusions only increase risk and cost without providing... read more

Definitive Global Transfusion Study Supports Patient Safety and Outcomes

Lower thresholds for blood transfusions during cardiac surgery have proven to be safe and provide good patient outcomes compared to traditional thresholds, according to the largest research study ever performed in this area.... read more

Can we stop worrying about the age of blood?

Blood transfusions are common in critically ill patients; two in five adults admitted to an ICU receive at least one transfusion during their hospitalization. Recently, there has been growing concern about the potential dangers... read more

Should Transfusions Be Matched by Sex?

In the first large study to look at how blood transfusions from previously pregnant women affect recipients' health, researchers discovered men under 50 were 1.5 times more likely to die in the three years following a transfusion... read more

Hyperfibrinolysis in Severe Isolated TBI May Occur Without Tissue Hypoperfusion

Hyperfibrinolysis is associated with tissue injury in both patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and in non-TBI patients. However, tissue hypoperfusion is associated with hyperfibrinolysis in non-TBI patients, but not... read more

Should All Massively Transfused Patients Be Treated Equally?

Although balanced resuscitation has become integrated into massive transfusion practice, there is a paucity of evidence supporting the delivery of high ratios of plasma and platelet to RBCs in the nontrauma setting. This... read more

Thrombolytics for Stroke: The Evidence

Thrombolytics for stroke: undoubtedly the biggest controversy in emergency medicine. Also, the topic of this week’s Emergency Medicine Cases Journal Jam podcast. Rory Spiegel, Anton Helman, and I take a deep dive into the... read more

Evaluating Transfusion Strategies

Cancer patients are at increased risk of septic shock. Therefore, Bergamin et al set out to assess whether a restrictive strategy of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion reduces 28-day mortality when compared with a liberal strategy... read more

CDC and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection

This guideline is intended to provide new and updated evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of SSI and should be incorporated into comprehensive surgical quality improvement programs to improve patient safety.... read more

Systemic and Microcirculatory Effects of Blood Transfusion in Experimental Hemorrhagic Shock

The microvascular reperfusion injury after retransfusion has not been completely characterized. Specifically, the question of heterogeneity among different microvascular beds needs to be addressed. In addition, the identification... read more