This very informative article is from Medscape Today. You need to be a member to read the full article, and because of copyright issues I have here reproduced the Introduction and Conclusion only. Registration with Medscape is free.


Risks of Transfusion

Bruce D. Spiess, MD, FAHA
Medscape Cardiology. 2007; ©2007 Medscape
Posted 12/28/2007


Introduction

Blood transfusion has evolved into a mainstay medical therapy. It has never undergone efficacy and safety testing the way in which a drug would be tested for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.[1,2] Today, some 107 years after Karl Landsteiner discovered the ABO histocompatibility antigens, we are still learning about risks and outcomes of transfusion. There have been relatively few randomized trials of transfusion,[3,4] but the lay public and many physicians are aware of several concepts. Fourteen to 15 million units of red blood cells are transfused per year in the United States to 4.5 million patients. Some patients die of complications from their transfusions. It is true that today we have the "safest" blood; however, this term is misunderstood.

Conclusion

So, how will we ever know about cause and effect? The true risks and benefits of allogeneic (donor blood) transfusion will be debated by academic physicians. Today, with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C no longer a major risk of transfusion, experts can focus on other risks that were always present but were underinvestigated. The world of blood transfusion is constantly changing. The societal perception is that "transfusion is good'; we do not know that for many patients.