Acute myocardial infarction and blood transfusion: lessons learned from animal models and clinical studies

Abstract

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Bulle et al. analyze the incidence of adverse cardiopulmonary events in an animal model of acute myocardial infarction (MI) and transfusion¹. Blood transfusion in patients with acute MI may be indicated to improve oxygen delivery or reduce the risk of bleeding in the setting of anti-platelet agents or therapeutic anticoagulation^2,3. Specifically, the management of acute MI may include concurrent administration of thrombolytic, antithrombotic, or antiplatelet therapies around the time of percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures, increasing the risk of bleeding and acute anemia. In addition, chronic anemia is often present in older patients with acute MI, especially in those with chronic kidney disease, congestive heart failure, or a history of coronary artery disease⁴. [ ... ]