The bleeding of patients was a common practice by doctors in the Middle Ages. Turns out they may have known a thing or two. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that critically ill patients with mild anemia fare better with less blood, not more. Statistics show that patients receiving red-cell transfusions for anemia run a greater risk of dying than those where blood was withheld. No one is quite sure why, but it may be that the introduction of additional red cells weakens the immune system in some cases. Doctors were quick to point out that in certain instances -- cardiovascular disease, bleeding, and emphysema -- transfusions are still necessary.
Less is More
The bleeding of patients was a common practice by doctors in the Middle Ages. Turns out they may have known a thing or two. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that critically ill patients with mild anemia fare better with less blood, not more. Statistics show that patients receiving red-cell transfusions for anemia run a greater risk of dying than those where blood was withheld. No one is quite sure why, but it may be that the introduction of additional red cells weakens the immune system in some cases. Doctors were quick to point out that in certain instances -- cardiovascular disease, bleeding, and emphysema -- transfusions are still necessary.
