Targeting Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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 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?

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: 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

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

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