caa a22 4500 477034985 CHVBK 20180405111302.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170330e19961101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s002689900181 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s002689900181 Greenburg A.G. Department of Surgery, The Miriam Hospital/Brown University, 164 Summit Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, U.S.A., US aut Benefits and Risks of Blood Transfusion in Surgical Patients [Elektronische Daten] [A.G. Greenburg] Abstract. This article attempts to put into a risk-related perspective modern red blood cell (RBC) transfusion therapy. When making the decision to transfuse, RBCs or blood products, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of the proposed therapy. It is equally important to evaluate the risk of not transfusing and the morbidity and mortality associated with that decision. After nearly a century of use, RBC transfusions continue to be associated with a variety of risks. Although the initial risks of mismatch and infectious disease transmission are ever decreasing, new risk considerations, particularly immunosuppression, are being uncovered. Because of the nearly universal worldwide fear of transfusion-related transmission of infectious disease a more conservative transfusion policy has generally taken hold. Transfusion avoidance philosophies and then increased use of autologous RBCs have become commonplace. This article puts a decision-oriented slant on the risk and benefit of transfusion therapy. The issues behind the inability to discern a defined benefit as well as a commentary on the newly perceived risks is provided. Overall, when increased oxygen delivery is required, the addition of RBCs has an apparent survival benefit in some specific patients. In these patients the risk of transfusion-related complication is minimized compared to the mortality outcome. For cancer and trauma patients, if transfusion is immunosuppressive and therefore detrimental, alternatives must be considered. The newest question is whether the act of transfusion, independent of the form, allogeneic or autologous, is of itself immunosuppressive.: 1996 by the Société Internationale de Chir, ugie https://doi.org/10.1007/s002689900181 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s002689900181 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Greenburg A.G. Department of Surgery, The Miriam Hospital/Brown University, 164 Summit Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, U.S.A., US aut Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer