Bold Voices - March 2013 - (Page 26)

AT THE BEDSIDE Fresh Blood in the ICU Outcomes for critically ill patients are virtually the same whether they receive transfusions of fresh or older red blood cells (RBCs) in the ICU, a Mayo Clinic study ﬁnds. “Transfusion of Aged Red Blood Cells Has No Impact on the Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients,” presented at an American Society of Anesthesiologists meeting in Washington, D.C., contrasts previous research suggesting that older RBCs are harmful. “We found a lack of evidence to say that older blood is associated with worse outcomes,” Leanne Clifford of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says in an article in MedPage Similar transfusion Today. Researchers complication and compared morbidity rates for outcomes for 99 fresh and older blood. patients receiving only RBCs less than eight days old with 99 controls getting blood at least 14 days old. Patients were matched on the number of units transfused, the number of leukoreduced units, age, admission source and primary body system affected. Overall transfusion complication rates were similar — 1 percent for the fresh blood group; 2 percent for aged blood 15th Annual National Patient Safety Foundation Patient Safety Congress May 8–10, 2013 NEW ORLEANS KEYNOTE SESSIONS Bedside Manners | Suzanne Gordon Through the Eyes of the Workforce | Lucian Leape Institute Experience Matters | Bridget Duffy, MD Why We Make Mistakes | Joe Hallinan PRE-CONGRESS WORKSHOPS Leadership and Meaningful Use Keys to Patient and Family Engagement Principles of Patient Safety Advancing Patient Safety through Simulation 25 BREAKOUT SESSIONS LEARNING & SIMULATION CENTER Visit npsfcongress.org for more information and to register Register by March 15 to receive the Early Bird Discount 26 www.aacnboldvoicesonline.org MARCH 2013 transfusions. Overall morbidity also was comparable, as were lengths of stay in the ICU — 1.8 days for the fresh blood group; 1.6 days for the control group. A related study in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association ﬁnds a similar result, concluding that “the use of fresh RBCs compared with standard blood bank practice did not improve outcomes in premature, very low-birth-weight infants requiring a transfusion.” Session moderator Joel Zivot of Emory University, Atlanta, says in MedPage Today that the study poses a “timely and important question,” but future research should examine the timing of transfusions. ICU outcomes, he explains, depend on how long a patient is in the unit; thus a transfusion occurring on the ﬁrst day may be more critical than one a few days later. Zivot calls the study a “beginning” of research into whether fresh blood makes a difference in the ICU. “It doesn’t answer the question deﬁnitively,” he says in the article. “There is more work that needs to be done on this.” http://www.asaabstracts.com/strands/asaabstracts/abstract.htm;jsessionid=AF443A3CFF1D50EE6E741F0A78D9A94F?year=2012&index=6&absnum=6482 http://www.asaabstracts.com/strands/asaabstracts/abstract.htm;jsessionid=AF443A3CFF1D50EE6E741F0A78D9A94F?year=2012&index=6&absnum=6482 http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASA/35306 http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASA/35306 http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1377715 http://www.npsfcongress.org http://www.npsfcongress.org http://www.aacnboldvoicesonline.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bold Voices - March 2013

Front/Digital Edition Viewing Guide
Another Angle
Design an NTI Just for You
New Guidelines Set Practice Framework for Tele-ICU NursingPractice
New Methods Increase Speed of Sepsis Diagnosis
High Blood Pressure Can Injure the Brain of Young Adults
Recurrent Hypoglycemia May Not Impair Long-Term Development of Preterm Infants
Superstorm Sandy Hospital Evacuation Decisions Questioned
New STEMI Guidelines Focus on Symptom Recognition, Ease of Use
Early Communication About Resuscitation Improves EOL Quality
Vote Now for AACN Board, Nominating Committee Members
Simple Measures Reduce Pneumonia
Fresh Blood in the ICU
Meeting Veterans’ Healthcare Needs
In Our Journals
Checklists May Reduce Venous Thromboembolism
Certification Capsules
Chapter Leadership Workshop @NTI 2013
Wear Your NTI Pride on May 20
Dare To
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Bold Voices - March 2013