Female Death Rate Following Heart Surgery Linked to Extra Blood Transfusions: New Study

Women are much more likely than men to experience fatal outcomes following heart surgery, and a new study suggests that increased blood transfusions may be to blame.  The finding is the result of research published in a recent edition of the Journal of Womens Health. 

The study adds to a growing body of literature that implicates blood transfusions in bad clinical outcomes, and is leading medical professionals to question whether the procedure is overused. 

Researchers in this study of 380 patients analyzed in-hospital deaths, lengths of stay, days of infection and fever, and whether or not patients developed pulmonary dysfunction — a serious side-effect of cardiac surgery.  Although 60% of the participants were men, and 40% were women, the women were found to be 44% more likely to receive a blood transfusion during surgery.  In raw numbers, of the 150 women studied, 149 received a transfusion.  Only 77% of men were transfused.

Researchers could not be certain why the women in the study received transfusion more frequently, but believe the reason may be tied to hematocrit values — a laboratory value used by doctors to determine the need for transfusion.  Women tend to have lower hematocrit values than men throughout their lives.  The hematocrit value alone, however, doesnt determine a persons risk of anemia following surgery.   

The existence of a direct relationship between post-surgical infections and blood transfusions is debated among physicians, but multiple studies indicate that donor blood may provoke a negative response from a patients immune system, which could lead to higher infection rates. 

Previously on the DC Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:

  • An FDA announcement regarding the marketing suspension of Trasylol, a blood clotting drug used during heart surgery
  • A new study linking preeclampsia to heart disease risk
  • Evidence that Hispanic women misunderstand the risk factors of heart disease

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