Domagoj Mladinov, MD
Montreal—Common hospital policies that mandate the administration of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) through a dedicated IV catheter may be overly cautious, according to the results of a new study. These policies assume detrimental effects on erythrocyte integrity when crystalloids and certain medications are coadministered.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Johns Hopkins University found that five minutes of incubation of PRBCs with isotonic