Anemia, Author Interviews, Kidney Disease, Transfusions / 28.05.2014
Dialysis Patients: A Standardized Transfusion Ratio to Evaluate Anemia Management
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
David T. Gilbertson, Ph.D.
Chronic Disease Research Group
Center for Observational Research, Amgen, Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA
MedicalResearch: What were the main findings of the study?
Dr. Gilbertson: Since transfusion avoidance is important in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis, development of a measure of red blood cell transfusion use to assess dialysis facility anemia management is reasonable. Because dialysis facility size varies widely, calculation of a standardized transfusion ratio (STfR) using standard methods is possible, but these methods result in significant instability in estimates for small dialysis facilities. Use of more advanced statistical methods results in standardized transfusion ratio estimates that are considerably more stable and more consistently precise across dialysis facilities of all sizes.
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