Is fresh blood better ?
Results of one study span over 10 years including 12,264 patients (total median transfusion of 4 pRBC units), done at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN - found that
- adjusted in-hospital mortality was 5% if pRBC was stored for less than 7 days
- adjusted in-hospital mortality was 8% if pRBC was stored for 7-14 days
- adjusted in-hospital mortality was 13% if pRBC was stored for more than 14 days
This corresponds to a reduction in the risk of in-hospital mortality of 62% for patients receiving pRBC stored for less than 7 days.
Reference: ATS 2007 poster presentations: The 2007 International Conference Abstracts of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Volume 175, Abstracts Issue, April 2007.
