Blood substitutes: the future is now.
Review articles are interesting but, unfortunately, do not add to existing knowledge. They can be more or less well documented and interesting for clinicians. The profusion of review articles on oxygen carriers contrasts with the little data from randomized controlled trials published recently. – Jean-Franois Hardy This article extensively (144 references) reviews the past, the […]
Increased rate of infection associated with transfusion of old blood after severe injury.
This is a very important topic. All logical aspects would seem to suggest that stored cellular blood components have an immune suppressive effect. However, it is questionable whether this study can really document this effect. The difference in the number of transfused older blood units in the first 12 hours between the patients developing infectious […]
Perioperative anemia: An independent risk factor for infection, mortality, and resource utilization in surgery.
The article confirms the data of Carson et al, Lancet 1988, that perioperative anemia is a significant risk factor. However, the belief that transfusion may constitute an independent risk factor cannot be accepted. Patients with coronary artery disease had a significantly higher incidence of preoperative anemia (74 vs. 33%). Operation time and blood supply were […]
Influence of storage on red blood cell rheological properties.
Growing evidence shows that transfusion of stored red cells may well harm patients. Studies are therefore necessary in order to help establish the reasons for this negative effect. Decrease of deformability of red cells during storage may be one explanation. Reduced perfusion of the capillary bed may be the consequence of reduced deformability of red […]
Caring for the critically ill patient. High-dose antithrombin III in severe sepsis: a randomized controlled trial.
An excellent study about the use of AT III in septic patients. Carefully conducted study: the description in the method section is outstanding. It is noteworthy that this is the presentation of a study with negative results. – W. Dietrich.
