Blood Transusion and Outcomes

[Guest guest]

April 23, 2009.

An exhaustive review and analysis of the medical literature by a panel of

experts at the International Consensus Conference on Transfusion and Outcomes

(ICCTO) held this month in Phoenix concluded that there is little evidence to

support a beneficial effect from the greatest number of transfusions currently

being given to patients. The vast majority of studies show an association

between red blood cell transfusions and higher rates of complications such as

heart attack, stroke, lung injury, infection and kidney failure and death.

The ICCTO conference brought together leading international physicians and

scientists in the fields of anesthesiology, intensive care, hematology,

oncology, surgery, and patient blood management, and was monitored by the Food

and Drug Administration, the American and the Australian Red Cross, the Joint

Commission, along with government health officials, and other organizations.

" The results of the conference firmly establish the view that, rather than being

a benign procedure, blood transfusion is associated with increased risk of

medical complications, " said Aryeh Shander, M.D., Chief of the Department of

Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Pain Management and Hyperbaric Medicine

at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Englewood, NJ and a founding member

of the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management (SABM). " The evidence

tells us to restrict the practice of transfusion and to avoid unnecessarily

transplanting stored blood that could harm a patient's recovery. "

A great majority of these studies were initiated to investigate the benefits of

transfusions, and instead either found no benefit or identified negative

outcomes associated with blood transfusions. Only a small minority of clinical

scenarios, were associated with suggested improved outcome.

I am posting this report as there are several of us in the group who have become

transfusion dependent and this can add to your arsenal of knowledge. I thought

it was timely and informative. There is much more to this report at this

website:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com:80/articles/147167.php

FYI,

Lottie