ReviewThe Annals of thoracic surgery2013
Blood transfusion and infection after cardiac surgery.
Review in The Annals of thoracic surgery, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07092683 (Mediating Role of Intraoperative Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Relationship Between Preoperative Anaemia and Postoperative Complications in Cardiac Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 93 papers, 4 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.
Mediating Role of Intraoperative Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Relationship Between Preoperative Anaemia and Postoperative Complications in Cardiac Surgery
Who cites it
93 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 309 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of acute normovolemic hemodilution on blood transfusions in cardiac surgery: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials with trial sequential analysis.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- A model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of Patient Blood Management.Blood transfusion = Trasfusione del sangue · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of restrictive red blood cell transfusion on the prognoses of adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Critical care (London, England) · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A Cohort, Semi-Randomized, open label quality improvement patient blood management (PBM) comparison of point of care viscoelastic coagulation monitors in cardiac surgery.Journal of clinical monitoring and computing · 2026Trial
- Positive impact of retrograde autologous priming in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a randomized clinical trial.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2018Trial
- TETIS study: evaluation of new topical hemostatic agent TT-173 in tooth extraction.Clinical oral investigations · 2016Trial
- Effects of Aged Stored Autologous Red Blood Cells on Human Endothelial Function.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2015Trial
- Management practices and major infections after cardiac surgery.Journal of the American College of Cardiology · 2014Trial
- Pre-operative anaemia, red blood cell transfusion and mortality after cardiac surgery: a Netherlands Heart Registration mediation analysis.Anaesthesia · 2026Article
- Association between perioperative allogenic blood transfusion and risk of fracture related infection and nonunion in operatively treated tibial shaft fractures.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2026Article
- Relationship between red blood cell transfusion and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.BMC surgery · 2026Observational
- Effects of Continuous Postoperative Pericardial FLUshing with Investigational Device on Postoperative Re-Explorations for Bleeding (FLUID)-Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Reduced risk of perioperative blood transfusions in coronary surgery: A nationwide study over 18 years.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2025Article
- Article
- Blood Transfusions are Associated With Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation Following Cardiac Surgery in Neonates.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Article
- Clinical risk factors for postoperative infection in adult cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a retrospective study.Infection prevention in practice · 2025Article
- Microbiological Surveillance of Air Quality in Cardiac Operation Theatres: Comparison of the Conventional Settle Plate Technique vs Use of an Air Sampling Device.Annals of cardiac anaesthesia · 2025Article
- Perioperative Considerations, Anesthetic Management and Transesophageal Echocardiographic Evaluation of Patients Undergoing the Ross Procedure.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2025Review
- Impact of zero-positive end-expiratory pressure on blood transfusion rates in off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery: a retrospective cohort study.BMC anesthesiology · 2024Article
33 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
20 authors at 11 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Cardiac surgery is the largest consumer of blood products in medicine; although believed life saving, transfusion carries substantial adverse risks. This study characterizes the relationship between transfusion and risk of major infection after cardiac surgery. In all, 5,158 adults were prospectively enrolled to assess infections after cardiac surgery. The most common procedures were isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery (31%) and isolated valve surgery (30%); 19% were reoperations. Infections were adjudicated by independent infectious disease experts. Multivariable Cox modeling was used to assess the independent effect of blood and platelet transfusions on major infections within 60 ± 5 days of surgery. Red blood cells (RBC) and platelets were transfused in 48% and 31% of patients, respectively. Each RBC unit transfused was associated with a 29% increase in crude risk of major infection (p < 0.001). Among RBC recipients, the most common infections were pneumonia (3.6%) and bloodstream infections (2%). Risk factors for infection included postoperative RBC units transfused, longer duration of surgery, and transplant or ventricular assist device implantation, in addition to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, and elevated preoperative creatinine. Platelet transfusion decreased the risk of infection (p = 0.02). Greater attention to management practices that limit RBC use, including cell salvage, small priming volumes, vacuum-assisted venous return with rapid autologous priming, and ultrafiltration, and preoperative and intraoperative measures to elevate hematocrit could potentially reduce occurrence of major postoperative infections.
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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.