Transfusion
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The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between the volume of red blood cells (RBCs) transfused and outcomes in children undergoing noncardiac surgery. ⋯ RBC transfusion is associated with an increased incidence of 30-day mortality and postoperative infections in children undergoing noncardiac surgery, and there is a correlation between the volume of red blood cells transfused and the incidences of adverse outcomes. Potential associations related to the reason to transfuse, the cause of the bleeding, or the actual blood products themselves need to be studied in further prospective trials.
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The purpose of this study was to determine which variables are associated with different levels of transfusion for cesarean delivery. ⋯ Placenta previa was a risk factor associated with moderate transfusion, and pernicious placenta previa was the only modifiable prepartum risk factor independently associated with all transfused subgroups.
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Alternatives to room temperature storage of platelets (PLTs) may be beneficial to extend the limited shelf life and support transfusion logistics in rural and military areas. The aim of this study was to assess the morphologic, metabolic, and functional aspects of PLTs stored at room temperature or in refrigerated conditions or cryopreserved. ⋯ Cold storage and cryopreservation of PLTs led to morphologic and metabolic changes. However, storage under these conditions appears to maintain or even enhance certain aspects of in vitro PLT function.
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Comparative Study
Evidence of benefits from using fresh and cryopreserved blood to transfuse patients with acute sickle cell disease.
The transfusion of red blood cell (RBC) concentrates is the main treatment for acute vaso-occlusive symptoms in sickle cell disease (SCD). Units of packed RBCs (pRBCs) must retain optimal characteristics for transfusion throughout the storage period. Transfused RBCs interact with the plasma and the endothelium that lines blood vessels and may be the target of immune-hematologic conflict if the patient produces antibodies against RBCs. Questions remain concerning the benefit-risk balance of RBC transfusions, in particular about the shelf-life of the units. ⋯ The key points of this study are that the clinical condition of patients with SCD can negatively affect the integrity of pRBCs for transfusion, and those effects increase with longer storage. Also, cryopreserved pRBCs behave similarly to fresh RBCs when challenged with plasma samples from patients with SCD in acute phase. Our data provide the first evidence that fresh RBCs stored for short periods may be of greater benefit to patients with SCD than RBCs that have been refrigerated for longer periods, particularly for those who have acute symptoms of SCD.
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Recent animal studies suggest that transfusion of plasma from young donors reverses age-related neurologic and cardiac changes in older recipients. Associations between age of blood product donors and corresponding outcomes in recipients have not been studied in humans. Therefore, our primary objective was to examine this relationship between donor age and recipient outcomes among patients that received plasma during and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. ⋯ We did not observe an association between donor age and recipient outcomes among patients who received plasma perioperatively while undergoing CABG surgery.