Transfusion of Older Blood is 'Safe'

Transfusion of older red blood cells which have been stored for a longer period were found to be much safer with minimal side effects.

Transfusion of red blood cells, especially of older stored cells were found to be safer and had fewer side effects, reveals a new study.

In the TRANSFUSE trial, researchers from the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre at Monash University in Melbourne led teams in 5 countries to investigate the effect of the age of transfused red blood cells on critically ill patient's outcomes.

Transfusion Of Fresh RBCs Did Not Improve Clinical Outcomes
Use of fresh red blood cells (RBCs) compared with standard RBC transfusion practice among prematurr infants requiring a transfusion did not improve clinical outcomes.

‘The side effects of transfused red blood cells in critically ills patient's are minimal and are much safer.’

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the landmark Australian research team demonstrated that fresher blood was no better than older blood.

Unexpectedly they also found fewer transfusion reactions, including fever, with the older blood; and in the most severely ill patients, the transfusion of older blood was associated with fewer deaths.

Lead researcher Professor Jamie Cooper said "older blood appears to be like a good red wine- better with some age. The findings of our trial confirm that the current duration of storage of red blood cells for transfusion is both safe and optimal".

Blood Transfusion in PCI may Increase the Risk of Cardiac Events
A study including 2 millions patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention procedures and blood transfusions had a greater risk of heart attack, stroke or death

In Australia, red blood cells are stored for up to 42 days before transfusion. Routine practice in most hospitals is to allocate the oldest available compatible blood.

Concerns regarding changes in the red blood cells for transfusion during storage, have led some countries to reduce this to 35 days, and some doctors to request fresher blood for specific patients under the belief the "fresh must be best".

Effectiveness of Two Widely-Used Transfusion Methods: A Comparison
Bleeding trauma patients who underwent a transfusion of a balanced ratio of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells were less likely to die in 24 hours.

"Such practices can significantly reduce the availability of blood for transfusion" said Professor Cooper.

"Our study shows these practices are not required and are potentially counterproductive".

Transfusion After Trauma can Harm or Benefit Patients Based on Their Risk of Death
The benefits and risks of red blood cell transfusions for patients with trauma and major bleeding might vary considerably based on a patient's predicted risk of death on arrival at a trauma centre.

Source-Eurekalert