9. Transfusions are ‘risky business’

Blood transfusions are essentially organ transplants so they logically cause changes in the immune system function of patients who receive them. Because each transfusion represents a new donor and a new set of immune challenges, each transfusion causes a stepwise increase in serious complications including postoperative infection rates, ventilator-acquired pneumonia, central line sepsis, ICU and hospital length of stay, as well as short term and long term mortality rates.