Restrictive vs liberal transfusion strategy for cardiac surgery patients

Editor's Note

In cardiac surgery patients at moderate-to-high risk for death, a restrictive strategy for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion was equivalent to a liberal strategy, with respect to death from any cause, myocardial infarction, stroke, or renal failure, at 6-months follow-up, this study finds.

There also were no significant differences between restrictive and liberal strategies for postoperative hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, or coronary revascularizations, 6 months after surgery.

The findings from this study provide new information about the long-term outcomes of perioperative transfusion strategies, the researchers say.