This article is part of the supplement: Anemia in Critical Care: Etiology, Treatment and Prevention
To filter blood or universal leukoreduction: what is the answer?
Professor of Surgery and Anesthesiology, SUNY-Stony Brook School of Medicine, Chief, General Surgery, Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and Burns, SUNY-Stony Brook, New York, USA
Critical Care 2004, 8(Suppl 2):S27-S30 doi:10.1186/cc2453
Published: 14 June 2004Abstract
The safety of the blood supply has been a concern over the past 20–30 years because of the transmission of infectious diseases. Blood is still routinely tested for viruses, and leukoreduction is an effective strategy to reduce the transmission of cell-associated viruses. Clinically, the benefits of leukoreduction include decreases in transfusion reactions, HLA alloimmunization, infections, fever episodes, and antibiotic use. Although leukoreduction will add cost to a unit of blood, projections indicate that leukoreduced blood will become the standard of care.
