Study: 'Old Blood' Linked to Infections
Posted on: Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 15:00 CDT
U.S. researchers say patients who received transfusions with blood stored for 29 days or more were twice as likely to suffer from infections.
Study author Dr. Raquel Nahra, who conducted her research while at Cooper University Hospital, in Camden, N.J., says that the oldest blood was associated with the most infections. Currently, federal regulations allow red blood cells to be stored up to 42 days, after which they must be discarded, Nahra said.
The researchers examined the association between the age of packed red blood cells and the development of nosocomial infections in 422 patients receiving blood transfusions who were admitted to an intensive care unit from July 2003 to September 2006.
The analysis shows that 11 percent of patients died, 13.5 percent developed nosocomial infections such as pneumonia, upper respiratory infections and sepsis, 32 patients developed one nosocomial infection, 21 patients developed two and four patients developed three.
"Stored red blood cells undergo changes that promote the release of a number of biochemical substances called cytokines, which can depress the recipients' immune function and leave them more susceptible to infection," Nahra said in a statement.
The findings were presented at the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians in Philadelphia.
Source: United Press International
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