An examination of electronic health records reveals significant variation in the utilization of blood and blood components, according to a study published in the May issue of Anesthesiology.
Steven Frank, MD, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues analyzed data collected from an automated anesthesia information management system involving 48,086 surgical patients. Transfusion hemoglobin trigger and target concentrations were compared by surgical services and procedures and between individual medical providers.
The researchers found significant variation in trigger and target range among surgical services, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Individual surgeons differed three- to four-fold in their use of erythrocyte salvage, fresh frozen plasma and platelets during performance of identical surgical procedures.
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Steven Frank, MD, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues analyzed data collected from an automated anesthesia information management system involving 48,086 surgical patients. Transfusion hemoglobin trigger and target concentrations were compared by surgical services and procedures and between individual medical providers.
The researchers found significant variation in trigger and target range among surgical services, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Individual surgeons differed three- to four-fold in their use of erythrocyte salvage, fresh frozen plasma and platelets during performance of identical surgical procedures.
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