Do You Really Need a Blood Transfusion?
Too many people are getting blood transfusions they dont need.
Thats the word from an HHS advisory committee meeting earlier this month, the Associated Press reports. While transfusions are certainly called for in some circumstances trauma, to name one there are alternatives to routine transfusions for certain conditions and operations.
Whats the harm in getting a transfusion just to be on the safe side? Well, first, banked blood is a unique and limited resource, so it makes no sense to use it if you dont need to. In rare cases people can have a bad reaction to transfused blood, the AP says. And while the blood supply is routinely screened for HIV, hepatitis C and other pathogens, there is some concern that new pathogens may pose a potential threat to recipients.
The WSJs Ron Winslow has written about unnecessary transfusions among open-heart-surgery patients. The AP also cites research showing regional variations in transfusion rates.
The advisory committee recommends hospitals be encouraged to develop their own guidelines for making sure that transfusions are being appropriately ordered.
If putting blood into people is overused, so is taking it out of them. We wrote recently about a simple way to curb excessive routine blood tests for hospitalized patients: just tell physicians how much they cost.
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