Anemia and blood transfusion: prognostic implications in patients undergoing contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Several studies have shown a direct relationship between anemia and adverse outcomes in the general patient population undergoing surgical cardiac and noncardiac procedures and in patients with heart failure and acute coronary syndromes. More recently, anemia has emerged as an important independent risk factor for adverse acute and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Complicating the relationship between anemia and adverse outcomes following PCI is the recent identification of a possible further adverse relationship between blood transfusion and clinical outcomes. Modification of procedure strategies aimed at reducing blood losses, and the application of available guidelines for blood transfusion could be used as potential strategies for reducing the number and frequency of transfusions and improving outcomes in anemic patients undergoing PCI.