Transfusion and heart surgery: Only when needed
The practice of routinely giving blood transfusions to patients during and after heart surgery is being challenged by research findings. In an eye-opening British study published in 2007, people who received a transfusion during or after heart surgery were six times more likely to have developed a complication related to ischemia (insufficient oxygen delivery to the tissues), such as heart attack, stroke, kidney trouble, and even death, when compared with those who did not get a transfusion.
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