Blood Transfusions Is One of Five Overused Procedures
Blood Transfusions Is One of Five Overused Procedures – The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported that nearly 12% of hospital patients who underwent a procedure had blood transfusions.
Research also shows that in most cases, the blood transfusions are not needed, and needlessly introduce risk and cost into the mix while providing few, if any, benefits. The Joint Commission that accredits hospitals, reported in 2012 that blood transfusions are one of the five most overused procedures. The other four are antibiotics for upper respiratory infections, tympanostomy tubes for middle ear effusion of brief duration, early-term non-medically indicated elective delivery, and elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Many studies have shown that reducing blood transfusions seem to have a beneficial effect on patients.
Doctors are now trying to use stricter guidelines for use of blood transfusions. Blood transfusions are not always successful, and if not compatible with a patient, can trigger immune and allergic reactions, and can damage the heart, lungs, and liver. Though such cases are rare, it is in the interest of patients to use them only when absolutely required.
A new study looked at the effect of blood transfusions in over 20,000 patients. The study found that while blood transfusions reduced mortality in those who were seriously injured, more patients with milder injuries who received transfusions died.
Doctors at Stanford started following stricter guidelines for blood transfusions, and reduced the number by 17% from 2009 to 2013. They found that mortality rates dropped and patients were discharged from the hospital sooner.
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