Risks and benefits of blood transfusion in cardiac surgery
Risks and benefits of blood transfusion in cardiac surgery
Cardiac surgery patients remain major consumers of allogeneic red blood cells. In the UK, >5% of all red cells are utilized by cardiac surgical patients. Until recently, transfusion decisions were not informed by high-quality evidence. This was reflected by wide variation in red cell transfusion rates across cardiac surgical units throughout the world. Recent evidence demonstrate that restrictive red cell transfusion practice is as safe as liberal transfusion strategies in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Professor Murphy’s research aims at identifying patient subgroups that benefit from either strategy, at what stage in their clinical journey, and provide greater clarity on transfusion thresholds and investigate new, more meaningful transfusion triggers.