Do heart transplant recipients that avoid blood transfusion fare better?

Blood transfusion may affect outcomes after transplantation of some organs, but data are limited for heart transplantation (HT). 241 consecutive HTs from one center were reviewed to identify: (1) factors predicting use of blood products during and after HT, and (2) the effect of transfusion on survival and rejection. 68 perioperative variables were tested including: recipient age, weight, ABO group, creatinine, Hgb, PT, aPTT, platelet count; use of ASA, warfarin, or heparin; etiology of CHF; prior sternotomy; pre-op VAD; UNOS status; cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic clamp times; and use of inotropes, aminocaproic acid or aprotinin. Data were incomplete for 7 patients. 175 patients received at least one unit of PRBC, FFP, platelets, or cryoprecipitate (Group 1); 59 received none (Group 2). Groups were compared by Fisher’s Exact test for discreet variables and Student’s T-test for continuous variables. Variables differing at p