Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Catheter-based Endovascular Angioplasty for Fibrosing Mediastinitis-associated Pulmonary Vein Stenosis
Published on: August 26, 2025
Mediastinitis and blood transfusion in cardiac surgery: a systematic review
Lee Boon Ang1, Evangeline N Veloria, Eileen Y Evanina
1Columbia University School of Nursing, 630 West 168th St., New York, NY 10032, USA. lba2126@columbia.edu
Background:
Mediastinitis, a serious complication after cardiac surgery, increases morbidity, mortality, and cost of care. Accumulating evidence implicates blood transfusions in the development of mediastinitis.
Objectives:
We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the association between allogeneic blood transfusion and mediastinitis in adult cardiac surgery patients.
Results:
After a search of Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Institute for Scientific Information's Web of Knowledge (1990-2010) for relevant studies, 7 (3 prospective cohort and 4 retrospective reviews) met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Between 20% and 80.2% of patients received blood transfusions, with an incidence of mediastinitis ranging from 0.1% to 2.3%. Five studies demonstrated an independent association between red blood cell transfusion and mediastinitis. Two studies identified a dose-response relationship.
Conclusion:
The findings of this systematic review suggest that allogeneic red blood cell transfusions are associated with an increased risk of mediastinitis in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Individual risks and benefits should be assessed in each patient before a red blood cell transfusion.
Related Concept Videos
Blood Transfusion
Blood Transfusion Overview
A blood transfusion is a medical procedure used to replace blood lost due to injury, surgery, or to treat conditions such as anemia or cancer. During a transfusion, donor blood is...
Cardiomyopathy VII: Pre and Post Operative Nursing Management
Blood Transfusion and Agglutination
History
The history of blood transfusion dates back to the 17th century, when early attempts were made in animals. In 1818 James Blundell, a British doctor, performed the first successful human blood transfusion. Later in 1900, Karl...
Pericarditis III: Medical Management
Tissue Transplantation
The Biology of Tissue Transplantation
The biology of tissue transplantation hinges on the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. These molecules...