More than half of the older, anemic patients in a New England Journal of Medicine study did not need blood transfusions as they recovered from hip surgery, according to new research co-authored by University of Maryland School of Medicine scientists. The findings could immediately change the way such patients are treated.
Doctors have long assumed that transfusions strengthen patients weakened by anemia, improving their chances at recovery from surgery after hip fracture. But the North American study of more than 2,000 patients found no significant difference in rate of recovery between patients who received transfusions at a moderate level of anemia and those who did not receive transfusions until their anemia was more advanced. Eurekalert!
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