Blood Transfusion News and Research

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Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood-based products from one person into the circulatory system of another. Blood transfusions can be life-saving in some situations, such as massive blood loss due to trauma, or can be used to replace blood lost during surgery.

Recycling patients' red blood cells during heart surgery better than banked blood transfusion

Patients whose own red blood cells are recycled and given back to them during heart surgery have healthier blood cells better able to carry oxygen where it is most needed compared to those who get transfusions of blood stored in a blood bank, according to results of a small study at Johns Hopkins.

9 May 2014

Delayed umbilical cord clamping is effective even when newborn is placed on mother's abdomen

A recent study has shown that a newborn benefits from delayed cord clamping even when placed immediately on the mother's abdomen.

17 Apr 2014

Scientists design new system for molecular blood group typing

Scientists in France have designed a new system for molecular blood group typing that offers blood banks the possibility of extensive screening of blood donors at a relatively low cost. Their approach is described in the current issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

10 Apr 2014

NBTS Sri Lanka to use Transfusion Evidence Library to ensure quality, safety of blood supply

Evidentia Publishing is pleased to announce that the National Blood Transfusion Service of Sri Lanka will be utilising the Transfusion Evidence Library - a unique, online database providing high quality, evidence-based information for all research related to transfusion medicine - in support of their efforts to ensure quality and safety of blood and blood components.

8 Apr 2014

Fewer blood transfusions reduce infection rates by nearly 20%

Blood transfusions are among the most common treatments for hospitalized patients nationwide, but doing them less often reduces infection rates by nearly 20 percent, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association co-authored by Neil Blumberg, M.D., professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

2 Apr 2014

Experimental drugs offer hope for people with hepatitis C

Patrizia Cazzaniga had heard the horror stories about early treatments for hepatitis C - multiple daily pills and weekly shots for up to a year, side effects that could be debilitating, and a cure rate of only about 40 percent.

11 Mar 2014

Transfusion Evidence Library provides evidence-based information for blood transfusion-related research

A recent systematic review conducted by the Collaboration for Evidence Based Healthcare in Africa on evidence-based healthcare treatment (EBHC) has shown that EBHC teaching and learning strategies on the African continent should focus on implementing multifaceted, clinically integrated approaches and assessment.

5 Mar 2014

Longer looks: A doctor struggles with new health system; how to reduce end-of-life costs; fighting cancer with aspirin

I know how lucky I am to be a patient who happens to also work in the healthcare system. ... Initially, I had to use antibiotic drops every hour. But my insurance would only cover one three-milliliter bottle every three weeks. Each bottle not covered by insurance cost me $130. ... My own experience makes me fear that for many Americans, health insurance may not necessarily equal health care. Access and cost will still remain barriers - and can be difficult to surmount for many (Dr. Helen Ouyang, 2/24)

28 Feb 2014

Perioperative blood transfusion worsens kidney cancer patients’ survival

Patients who receive blood transfusions around the time of their surgery for nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma have a worse chance of survival than those who do not, results of a large US study suggest.

25 Feb 2014

Incontinence prophylaxis shows potential in pelvic organ prolapse

Research from Taiwan suggests that combining trocar-guided transvaginal mesh surgery with a midurethral sling in the treatment of women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse could be an effective way to manage associated stress urinary incontinence.

3 Feb 2014

Risk factor for life-threatening bowel infection in premature infants identified

Many premature infants suffer a life-threatening bowel infection called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

17 Jan 2014

Key questions to ask about bone marrow transplants

Those who have leukemia, lymphoma or other blood cancer diseases might have heard about bone marrow transplant as a potential treatment. As with any serious procedure, it is important to have all questions answered by a physician before any decision is made.

20 Dec 2013

Research: Creuztfeldt-Jakob disease might be transmitted by blood transfusion

Creuztfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare but fatal disease in humans. For the first time, the presence of infectivity[1] in the blood of patients affected by sporadic and the new variant of CJD was established by scientists from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the French National Veterinary School (ENVT), in collaboration with European partners.

12 Dec 2013

Study to assess benefits of plasma administration while being flown to hospitals

Vanderbilt University Medical Center will participate in a national trial to see if outcomes for critically injured patients with uncontrolled bleeding can be improved by administering plasma to these patients while in flight to the hospital.

30 Oct 2013

Study suggests certain pediatric surgeries carry low risk of serious blood loss

Certain pediatric surgeries carry such low risk of serious blood loss that clinicians can safely forgo expensive blood typing and blood stocking before such procedures, suggest the results of a small study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

24 Sep 2013

Hepatitis C services in the UK: an interview with Louise Campbell, senior liver nurse at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Within the UK there are several centres whose nurse specialists work to a best practice model, delivering care and achieving outcomes which are extremely high in areas of patient retention, adherence to medication and completion of the treatment regimen. With this they achieve cure rates which are some of the highest in the World.

9 Sep 2013

Women are 25% less likely to die post TAVI than men, says doctor

Dr Sherif said: "Earlier studies on the impact of gender on outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have had conflicting results. A Canadian study reported in 641 consecutive patients that female sex is associated with a better long-term and short-term survival after TAVI.1 An Italian study of 305 high risk patients found no gender differences in composite safety and efficacy endpoints at 30 days and one year after TAVI."2

2 Sep 2013

Diabetic patients could benefit from breakthrough cell study

Diabetic patients could benefit from a breakthrough that enables scientists to take cells from the pancreas and change their function to produce insulin.

30 Aug 2013

Fixed-ratio transfusion protocol in trauma patients is feasible, but wastes blood plasma

The use of a 1:1:1 blood transfusion protocol in patients with severe trauma is feasible in hospitals, although it is associated with higher waste of plasma, according to a randomized trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

16 Jul 2013

Study finds decrease in risk of death from ischemic stroke in US black children

The excess risk of death from ischemic (due to reduced blood flow), but not hemorrhagic (due to bleeding), stroke in US black children has decreased over the past decade, according to a study by Laura L. Lehman, M.D., of Boston Children's Hospital, and colleagues.

25 Jun 2013