Transfusion
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Meta Analysis
WBC-containing allogeneic blood transfusion and mortality: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
An association between allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) and mortality was reported by one team of investigators from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing recipients of non-WBC-reduced versus WBC-reduced RBCs in open-heart surgery. A meta-analysis was undertaken to examine whether this finding can be generalized across clinical settings and/or transfused RBC components. ⋯ An association between ABT and either short-term or long-term mortality was not detected across clinical settings and transfused RBC components, but subgroup analyses suggest that an association between WBC-containing ABT and short-term mortality may exist in open-heart surgery and in settings where WBC-reduced allogeneic RBCs filtered before storage are administered.