SynthesisTransfusion2012
Transfusion of older stored blood and risk of death: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Transfusion, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 133 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
133 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Transfusion of red blood cells stored for shorter versus longer duration for all conditions.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Transfusion of packed red blood cells at the end of shelf life is associated with increased risk of mortality - a pooled patient data analysis of 16 observational trials.Haematologica · 2018Pooled it
- Effects of shorter versus longer storage time of transfused red blood cells in adult ICU patients: a systematic review with meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis.Intensive care medicine · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of packed red blood cell storage duration on post-transfusion clinical outcomes: a meta-analysis and systematic review.Intensive care medicine · 2015Pooled it
- Impact of the age of stored blood on trauma patient mortality: a systematic review.Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie · 2015Pooled it
- Relationship between red cell storage duration and outcomes in adults receiving red cell transfusions: a systematic review.Critical care (London, England) · 2013Pooled it
- Characterizing red blood cell age exposure in massive transfusion therapy: the scalar age of blood index (SBI).Transfusion · 2019Trial
- Older Blood Is Associated With Increased Mortality and Adverse Events in Massively Transfused Trauma Patients: Secondary Analysis of the PROPPR Trial.Annals of emergency medicine · 2019Trial
- Trial
- The Effects of Storage Age of Blood in Massively Transfused Burn Patients: A Secondary Analysis of the Randomized Transfusion Requirement in Burn Care Evaluation Study.Critical care medicine · 2018Trial
- Application of a clot-based assay to measure the procoagulant activity of stored allogeneic red blood cell concentrates.Blood transfusion = Trasfusione del sangue · 2018Trial
- The impact of red blood cell storage duration on tissue oxygenation in cardiac surgery.The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery · 2017Trial
- Effects of Aged Stored Autologous Red Blood Cells on Human Endothelial Function.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2015Trial
- Effects of storage-aged red blood cell transfusions on endothelial function in hospitalized patients.Transfusion · 2015Trial
- Longer RBC storage duration is associated with increased postoperative infections in pediatric cardiac surgery.Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies · 2015Trial
- Autologous transfusion of stored red blood cells increases pulmonary artery pressure.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2014Trial
- Trial
- Inhibition of red blood cell-derived small extracellular vesicles release by calpeptin attenuates neutrophil inflammation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The Effect of Donor Packed Cell Volume and Storage Characteristics on Transfusion Efficacy in Cats.Veterinary medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
73 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBlood for transfusion is stored for up to 42 days. Older blood develops lesions and accumulates potentially injurious substances. Some studies report increasing toxicity as blood ages. We assessed the safety of transfused older versus newer stored blood. STUDY DESIGN AND
methodsPubMed, Scopus, and Embase were searched using terms new and old and red blood cell and storage through May 6, 2011, for observational and randomized controlled studies comparing outcomes using transfused blood having longer and shorter storage times. Death was the outcome of interest.
resultsTwenty-one studies were identified, predominantly in cardiac surgery (n=6) and trauma (n=6) patients, including 409,966 patients. A test for heterogeneity of these studies' results was not significant for mortality (I(2)=3.7%, p=0.41). Older blood was associated with a significantly increased risk of death (odds ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.24). Using available mortality data, 97 (95% CI, 63-199) patients need to be treated with only new blood to save one life. Subgroup analysis of these trials indicated that the increased risk was not restricted to a particular type of patient, size of trial, or amount of blood transfused.
conclusionBased on available data, use of older stored blood is associated with a significantly increased risk of death.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.