Critical Care Alert – January 1, 2014

January 1, 2014

• To Transfuse or Not Transfuse

  In 1818, James Blundell performed the first successful human blood transfusion in a woman with postpartum hemorrhage. Nearly 200 years later, about 15 million red blood cell (RBC) units are transfused annually in the United States. Many of these transfusions occur in the intensive care unit (ICU), where up to 30-50% of patients are transfused. Despite the frequency of RBC transfusions, there is little evidence that transfusions benefit patients.

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• Reducing Antibiotic Overuse: An Intervention with Positive Outcomes

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• Effects of ICU Capacity Strain on Patient Outcomes and ICU Discharge Timing

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