Old Blood Doubles Trauma Death
ironjustice
Published: Monday, September 21, 2009 - 20:08 in Health & Medicine
Severe trauma patients requiring a major transfusion are twice as
likely
to die if they receive red blood cells stored for a month or longer,
according to research published in BioMed Central's open access
journal
Critical Care.
The increased rate of death was measured up to six months post
transfusion which is consistent with previous reports in cardiac
surgery
patients.
Philip Spinella and Christopher Carroll, both pediatric intensivists
from
Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA and
their team studied 202 severe trauma patients treated at Hartford
Hospital
following a critical injury with five or more units of red blood
cells.
They found that even one unit of red blood cells stored more than 28
days
doubled the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and increased death
secondary to multiple organ failure.
Though medical experts had long suspected that older red blood cells
caused complications, this is one of the first studies to strongly
support this
dramatic link.
This study differs from previous studies since the amount of RBC
units
transfused to the fresh and old RBC study groups were equal.
As a result, this eliminated the major criticism of previous studies
that it is
the amount of RBCs transfused not the storage age that was affecting
outcomes.
Over 29 million units of blood were transfused in the United States
in
2004, and this is a routine and reliable part of trauma care treatment
around
the world.
However, red blood cell transfusion continues to be associated with
adverse
complications.
This study provides evidence that allows doctors to reduce these risks
by
giving fresher red blood cells to severe trauma patients who need
these major
transfusions for life-saving procedures.
According to Spinella, 'The preferential use of younger RBCs to
critically ill
patients has the potential to increase waste due to outdating.
Since blood is often a scarce resource this is important and methods
need
to be developed to minimize waste while providing the most efficacious
and
safe blood product for a given patient.
The authors speculate, 'These important findings should encourage
research into the effects of old blood and coagulation in critically
ill
patients.
With the widespread of use of red blood cell transfusion for
critically
injured patients, this study has the potential to cut deaths in
hospitals
around the world.'
Source: BioMed Central
Who loves ya.
Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian!
http://tinyurl.com/634q5a
Man Is A Herbivore!
http://tinyurl.com/4rq595
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING
http://tinyurl.com/zk9fk
