The highest amounts of blood loss occurred among patients undergoing the most complex heart surgeries.
The greater the number of lab tests and the longer patients stayed in the hospital, the more likely they were to require transfusions.
“Prior research shows that patients who receive blood transfusions during heart surgery have more infections after surgery, spend more time on the ventilator, and die more frequently — even after adjusting for how sick they were prior to surgery,” Koch said.
Patients should ask their doctors whether a specific test is necessary, she advised. Some questions she suggested include: What is the indication for the test? Will it change my care? If so, do you need to do it every day?
“They should inquire whether smaller-volume test tubes could be used for the tests that are deemed necessary. Every attempt should be made to conserve the patient’s own blood — every drop of blood counts,” Koch concluded.
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Shocking Discovery About Heart Surgery Patients was originally published on blackdoctor.org
