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.

CDC recommends hepatitis C screening for all patients born from 1945-1965

Without other risk factors, all Americans born between 1945 and 1965 should have a one-time screening for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) according to new recommendations being published early online today in Annals of Internal Medicine, the flagship journal of the American College of Physicians. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that all persons identified with HCV should receive a brief alcohol screening and intervention and be referred to appropriate care and treatment services for HCV and related conditions.

17 Aug 2012

Tranexamic acid reduces bleeding in off-pump coronary bypass surgery

Patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting who are given a tranexamic acid infusion show a modest reduction in postoperative bleeding and blood transfusion relative to their placebo-treated peers, a clinical trial shows.

15 Aug 2012

Studies look at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia

Two recent studies in the July issues of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) looked at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia, the technical term for high blood glucose, or high blood sugar.

26 Jul 2012

Robotic surgery shows promise for local control of OSCC

In individuals with low-risk oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, treatment with transoral robotic surgery alone can result in an excellent rate of local disease control for up to 3 years, report researchers.

19 Jul 2012

Lessons learned from transfusion refusal

Jehovah’s Witness patients who refuse blood transfusions during cardiac surgery are not at risk for surgical complications or long-term mortality compared with non-Witnesses who receive transfusions, report US researchers.

10 Jul 2012

Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs do not necessarily put them at risk

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not have a significantly increased risk for complications or long-term mortality after cardiac surgery, researchers say.

10 Jul 2012

New hemoglobin monitoring system for anemia screening introduced by OrSense Ltd.

OrSense Ltd., developer of monitors for non-invasive measurements of various blood parameters, introduced today at the 32nd International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), in Cancun, Mexico, GlasswingTM, its next-generation, wireless, non-invasive hemoglobin (Hb) measurement system for anemia monitoring, hemorrhage detection and pre-donation screening.

9 Jul 2012

OrSense launches Glasswing for anemia monitoring and hemorrhage detection

OrSense Ltd., developer of monitors for non-invasive measurements of various blood parameters, introduced today at the 32nd International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), in Cancun, Mexico, Glasswing, its next-generation, wireless, non-invasive hemoglobin (Hb) measurement system for anemia monitoring, hemorrhage detection and pre-donation screening.

9 Jul 2012

Procoagulant–fibrinolytic balance may predict hepatectomy thrombosis

An imbalance in procoagulant/fibrinolytic blood factors may point to an increased risk for thrombosis following liver surgery, research suggests.

2 Jul 2012

In observing World Blood Donor Day, WHO recognizes donors' personal commitment to helping others

"Today we celebrate World Blood Donor Day -- a day devoted to thanking those among us who help save lives through blood donations and to raising awareness of the need for safe and secure blood supplies," a VOA editorial writes.

15 Jun 2012

Study assesses impact of postoperative nHb and transfusion in patients with PAD

Vascular surgeons from Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans' Administration Medical Center in Houston, TX, have released a study about the impact of transfusion and postoperative nadir postoperative hemoglobin (nHb) on short- and long-term outcomes after interventions for peripheral arterial disease.

8 Jun 2012

New study to find best way to give blood transfusions for severely injured patients

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) are launching a new research study to find the best way to give blood transfusions for severely injured patients predicted to require massive blood transfusions upon arrival to the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center emergency department. Bryan Cotton, M.D., of UTHealth is principal investigator for this clinical study.

19 May 2012

Older, high-risk prostate cancer patients get better results in larger hospitals

Older, sicker, high-risk patients who undergo one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer get better results in larger, busier hospitals, according to new research by Henry Ford Hospital.

16 May 2012

Association between gender and surgical outcomes of kidney removal not well understood

Women do better than men after surgical removal of part or all of a cancerous kidney, with fewer post-operative complications, including dying in the hospital, although they are more likely to receive blood transfusions related to their surgery.

16 May 2012

First study to compare complication rates after RAPN and LPN

Robot-assisted surgery has replaced another minimally invasive operation as the main procedure to treat kidney cancer while sparing part of the diseased organ, and with comparable results, according to a new research study by Henry Ford Hospital urologists.

16 May 2012

Study confirms overuse of blood transfusions during surgery

Citing the lack of clear guidelines for ordering blood transfusions during surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers say a new study confirms there is still wide variation in the use of transfusions and frequent use of transfused blood in patients who don't need it.

25 Apr 2012

Robot-assisted surgery more common and successful in treating prostate cancer

Robot-assisted surgery is now both more common and far more successful than radical "open" surgery to treat prostate cancer in the United States, according to a new Henry Ford Hospital study published in the current issue of the medical journal European Urology.

24 Apr 2012

New wiki of medical devices designed for resource-limited settings

In parts of the world without reliable electricity, a pedal-powered nebulizer could provide life-saving asthma treatments. Small wax-filled sleeping bags could keep premature infants warm. A salad spinner centrifuge for blood samples could help clinicians diagnose anemia.

20 Apr 2012

Timing pregnancy an important health concern for women

A newly published article in the journal Nursing for Women’s Health highlights the importance of a woman’s ability to time her childbearing. The author asserts that contraception is a means of health promotion and women who work with their health care providers to ensure they are healthy prior to conceiving can minimize their risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

11 Apr 2012

High-risk, high-cost PCI patients can be identified through pre-procedure bleeding risk score

A pre-procedure bleeding risk score can accurately identify high-risk, high-cost patients and may provide an opportunity to employ bleeding avoidance strategies to improve patient outcomes and reduce total costs related to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, according to a retrospective study being presented March 26 at the 61st annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session.

27 Mar 2012