Current issues in transfusion therapy

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Even with the current emphasis on conservative use of transfusions, some clinical situations necessitate transfusion of whole blood or components if the patient is to be best served. Dr Coffin discusses such situations and provides tabular guidelines for the use of whole blood, packed red blood cells, special red blood cell preparations, platelets, fresh-frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, and granulocytes. In addition, she notes those conditions that generally do not call for transfusion. In part 1, beginning on page 219 of the December issue, Dr Coffin addressed transfusion-transmitted infections.