Cardiologia Clínica e Experimental
Acesso livre

Abstrato

Complications after Cardiac Surgery due to Allogeneic Blood Transfusions

YM Bilgin and LMG van de Watering

Cardiac surgery is worldwide a common procedure, which requires large numbers of red blood cells. Allogeneic blood transfusions are necessary for correction of anemia and bleeding disorders, although blood transfusions are associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Possible complications of blood transfusions contributing to increased risk for morbidity and mortality are transfusion-transmitted infections, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), and storage of blood products related complications and due to transfusion-related immunomodulation (TRIM). Probably complications due to TRIM are the most common cause of transfusion-related mortality after cardiac surgery. A possible cause for complications due to TRIM is that allogeneic blood transfusions given during cardiac surgery can aggravate a pre-existent inflammatory response after cardiac surgery. In this review we focus on these causes of complications of blood transfusions in cardiac surgery.