International Perfusion Association

Day: January 20, 2024

Donation Request

Empower a Heart, Save a Life: The Honduras Open Heart Surgery Initiative

Since 2019, a global health initiative in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, has been empowering local healthcare professionals to perform essential open heart surgeries, crucial in a country where such medical care is rare and desperately needed. Facing challenges like the high cost of surgeries against the backdrop of low average incomes, the program aims to develop local expertise while contending with economic barriers, and in 2024, it plans an ambitious mission with teams from Duke and Harvard, seeking contributions to continue saving lives and enhancing cardiac care in Honduras.

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Simpson Transfusion

Effects of Albumin and Crystalloid Priming Strategies on Red Blood Cell Transfusions in On-Pump Cardiac Surgery: A Network Meta-Analysis

In on-pump cardiac surgery, a network meta-analysis revealed that crystalloid priming strategies are associated with fewer perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusions compared to albumin priming, although the difference in postoperative blood loss between the two was not statistically significant. The study suggests that while albumin priming might reduce postoperative blood loss, its use leads to more RBC transfusions and a higher blood management burden, indicating the need for careful consideration of its application in this context.

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