Blood Transfusion in the Critically ill Patient: Role of Erythropoietin

SUMMARY The earliest blood transfusions date back to the mid-seventeenth century1. It was not until the early part of the twentieth century that blood transfusion became a mainstay of clinical practice. The value of blood transfusion was unchallenged through most of this century. Blood transfusion was looked upon as relatively risk-free, making surgery with levels less than 10 g/dL unthinkable. It was not until the early 1980's that transfusion practices began to come under systematic scrutiny24.The debate over transfusion risks has over the last decade led to a more critical examination of transfusion benefits. This review will focus on transfusion practice in the critically ill patient and the potential role of erythropoietin in the management of these patients.