Overuse of blood transfusions increases infection risk

The fewer the red blood cell transfusions, the less likely patients were to develop infections like pneumonia, a new study has illustrated. Elderly patients undergoing hip or knee surgeries were most susceptible, with a 30 percent lower risk of infection when fewer transfusions were used. Overall, for every 38 hospitalized patients considered for a red blood cell transfusion (RBC), one patient would be spared a serious infection if fewer transfusions were used.