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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload
Published on: March 14, 2017
[Blood transfusion increases the risk of surgical infection]
L S Jensen1, A J Andersen, P M Christiansen
1Arhus Amtssygehus, kirurgisk gastroenterologisk afdeling L og haematologisk afdeling.
Abstract:
In a prospective randomized trial the frequency of infectious complications and natural killer cell function were investigated in 197 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery and having either no blood transfusion (n = 93), transfusion with whole blood (n = 56), or filtered blood free from leucocytes (n = 48). Postoperative infections developed in 13 patients transfused with whole blood (23%), in one patient transfused with blood free from leucocytes (2%) and in two non-transfused patients (2%) (p < 0.01). Natural killer cell function was significantly (p < 0.001) impaired up to 30 days after surgery in patients transfused with whole blood. These data provide a strong case against the use of whole blood transfusion in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery.
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