The Research

There has been a great deal of research published internationally on the effects of red blood cell transfusions.

Please click on any one of the five categories below for abstracts on emerging research.

Transfusion and Cardiac Surgery
Anaemia Management and red cell transfusion avoidance
Transfusion Practice in Orthopaedics
The Cost of Blood
Transfusion Risks
Solutions
E-learning

Transfusion and Cardiac Surgery

• Increased risk of infection and mortality in women after cardiac surgery related to allogeneic blood transfusion (pdf - 49 kb)
• Morbidity and mortality risk associated with red blood cell (pdf - 49 kb)
• The association between duration of storage of transfused red blood cells and morbidity and mortality after reoperative cardiac surgery (pdf - 48kb)
• The influence of baseline haemoglobin concentration on tolerance of anaemia in cardiac surgery (pdf - 49 kb)
• Variability and predictability of large volume transfusions (pdf - 51 kb)
• Bloodless cardiac surgery is associated with decreased morbidity and mortality (pdf - 62 kb)
• Persistent effect of red cell transfusion on health (pdf - 48 kb)
• Blood transfusion is associated with increased morbidity and mortality (pdf - 61 kb)
  

Anaemia Management and red cell transfusion avoidance

• Red cell transfusion for iron deficiency anaemia (pdf - 51 kb)
• Efficacy and safety of intravenous iron therapy as an alternative (pdf - 52 kb)
• Perioperative intravenous iron after knee surgery (pdf - 64 kb)
• Preoperative iron supplement reduces blood transfusion (pdf - 54 kb)
• Treatment of iron deficiency anaemia in orthopaedic surgery (pdf - 61 kb)

Transfusion Practice in Orthopaedics

• Reducing blood transfusion in orthopaedic surgery (pdf - 50 kb)
• A strategy for reducing blood (pdf - 50 kb)
• Blood salavage in hip replacement (pdf - 42 kb)
• Blood conservation in hip joint surgery (pdf - 55 kb)

The Cost of Blood

• An economic analysis of costs associated with development of a cell salvage program (PDF - 49 KB)
• Estimating the cost of blood (PDF - 43 KB)

Transfusion Risks

• Immunological reactions secondary to blood transfusion (pdf - 36 kb)
• Red blood cell transfusions and the risk of acute respiratory distress (pdf - 54 kb)
• The direct effects of stored blood products may worsen prognosis of cancer patients (pdf - 45 kb)
• Association of red cell transfusion with mortality in patients with acute lung injury (pdf - 49 kb)

Solutions

• Blood transfusion patient information brochure (pdf - 92 kb)
• NHMRC/ASBT clinical practice guidelines (pdf - 790 kb)
• NSW health policy - blood fresh components - management (pdf - 34 kb)
• NSW health guildelines for the management of fresh blood component (pdf - 132 kb)

E-learning

See the interactive e-learning program that JMO's, Registrars,  Nursing and Laboratory staff all over Australia are completing as part of their education about transfusion.

This BloodSafe e-learning program  has been designed to develop  knowledge of blood transfusion, encourage safe practice and the appropriate use of blood components.

It has been endorsed and/or allocated points towards continuing professional development programs (CPD, CME, CNE) by a number of organisations including the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) as well as other colleges and societies.

BloodSafe is a collaborative blood transfusion safety and quality improvement program between the Department of Health, Government of South Australia, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, public and private hospitals and transfusion service providers.

Please visit www.bloodsafelearning.org.au for more information.

Blood Watch, a programme
of the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission