The duration of red blood cell storage did not adversely affect outcomes in ventilated patients receiving transfusions, according to a small randomized trial. There was no difference in short-term pulmonary, immunologic, or coagulation status between 50 patients who received fresh red blood cells (median storage of four days) and 50 who received standard-issue red blood cells (median storage duration of 26.5 days), reported Daryl Kor, MD, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

MedPage Today, by Shalmali Pal, 1/22/2012

Tags: Mayo Clinic Rochester, Research