Findings became basis for new transfusion guidelines
Newswise — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The FOCUS (“Functional Outcomes in Cardiovascular Patients Undergoing Surgical Hip Fracture Repair”) study led by Jeffrey Carson, MD, has been selected by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute as one of the top 34 research findings published in fiscal year 2012 and supported by the NHLBI. Carson is Richard C. Reynolds Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The 34 key research findings were selected because they advanced the knowledge of blood, cardiovascular, and lung diseases.
"Dr. Carson is a dedicated physician-researcher and this multi-year this study has positively impacted the healthcare delivery system," stated Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "The FOCUS study provided high-quality evidence to guide the use of red blood cell transfusion."
The FOCUS study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved 2,016 patients with an average age of 82 who underwent hip fracture surgery. It found that a liberal strategy for providing red blood cell transfusions following the surgery to inpatients with cardiovascular disease neither lowered their post-surgical risk of death nor improved their recovery rates when compared to a restrictive transfusion strategy.
In speaking about the research, which the American Association of Blood Banks later incorporated into new guidelines, Susan B. Shurin, MD, deputy director of NHLBI, said, "Blood transfusions can save lives, but they are not without risks. Knowing when to perform blood transfusions may help patients avoid unnecessary medical procedures, and their associated risks, and help conserve our limited blood supply."
Additional information from NHLBI can be found here.
About UMDNJ:The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is New Jersey’s only health sciences university with more than 6,000 students on five campuses attending three medical schools, the State’s only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and New Jersey’s only school of public health. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, which provides a continuum of healthcare services with multiple locations throughout the State.
About UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise one of the nation's premier academic medical centers. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.
As one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,800 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, log on to rwjms.umdnj.edu. Find us online at www.Facebook.com/RWJMS and www.twitter.com/UMDNJ_RWJMS.
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