Transfusion
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This study was designed to obtain data on the incidence of postoperative infection in patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery and receiving white blood cell (WBC)-filtered blood components prepared according to current standards. ⋯ Differences in postoperative infection rates between allogeneic and autologous recipients are still observable, although universal WBC filtration has been introduced into clinical practice.
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Cardiac surgery is occasionally complicated by massive blood loss that is refractory to standard hemostatic interventions. Recombinant factor VIIa (rF-VIIa) is being increasingly used as rescue therapy in such cases, but little information is available on its safety and efficacy for this indication. ⋯ These results suggest that rF-VIIa may be an effective rescue therapy for patients with intractable hemorrhage after cardiac surgery. A clinically important risk of stroke or other major thrombotic complications could not be ruled out by our study. Controlled clinical trials with adequate power to detect the impact of rF-VIIa therapy on morbidity and mortality therefore are necessary before one can recommend its routine use in patients undergoing cardiac surgery who have excessive bleeding.