Retrospective study aimed to identify risk factors for acute lung injury in mechanically ventilated patients. Storage time of RBCs seemed not to be a risk factor but the storage time of the transfused RBCs probably did not vary
enough to reach significant difference. The most powerful predictor was thrombocytopenia, which was considered as a surrogate for DIC. This is highly debatable, because many ICU patients develop thrombocytopenia below 100 x 109/L due to other causes. The second most significant predictor was FFP transfusion(independent from the gender of the donor). However, the authors cannot exclude the possibility that the underlying condition which prompted the FFP transfusion was actually the risk factor for development of ALI. The study does not add any evidence regarding the question of how often ALI is due to FFP transfusion.
– Volker Kretschmer