American heart journal
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American heart journal · Jun 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyLiberal versus restrictive transfusion thresholds for patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease.
Prior trials suggest it is safe to defer transfusion at hemoglobin levels above 7 to 8 g/dL in most patients. Patients with acute coronary syndrome may benefit from higher hemoglobin levels. ⋯ The liberal transfusion strategy was associated with a trend for fewer major cardiac events and deaths than a more restrictive strategy. These results support the feasibility of and the need for a definitive trial.