Anemia, Transfusion, and Mortality

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Abstract
Questions surrounding the risks and costs associated with blood transfusion have led to a reevaluation of clinical transfusion practices during the past 15 years.1 Guidelines for blood transfusion have been issued by several organizations, including a consensus conference of the National Institutes of Health,2 the American College of Physicians,3 the American Society of Anesthesiology,4 and the Canadian Medical Association.5 The guidelines recommend that among patients without known risk factors, the threshold for transfusion should be a hemoglobin level in the range of 6.0 to 8.0 g per deciliter. They also indicate that patients with hemoglobin levels higher than 10.0 g . . .