Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention who receive a blood transfusion are more likely to experience an adverse coronary event in the hospital, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers examined data from more than two million patients entered into the CathPCI Registry from July 2009 to March 2013.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
The rate of heart attack for patients receiving a transfusion was 4.5 percent, compared to 1.8 percent for patients who did not receive a transfusion. Patients receiving a transfusion were also more likely to experience stroke (two percent vs. 0.2 percent) and death (12 percent vs. 1.2 percent).
Researchers suggest further studies are needed to determine proper transfusion strategies for PCI patients.
More Articles on Adverse Events:
Hospital Safety Progress Too Slow
5 Statistics on Adverse Events Related to Chronic Kidney Disease
Physician, Patient Assessments of Head and Neck Cancer Treatment Adverse Events Greatly Differ