Left ventricular filling pressures after rapid blood transfusion in cases of chronic severe anemia.

Left ventricular filling pressure as reflected by pulmonary artery wedge pressure was measured in 15 adult cases of chronic severe anemia before and after rapid and large blood transfusion, using Swan-Ganz monitoring catheters. Pre-transfusion PAWP was normal in 80% of the cases but increased significantly after blood transfusion (P less than 0.001), reaching more than 18.0 mm Hg in 3 cases. No correlation was found between right atrial pressure and PAWP. In is concluded that administration of 2 units of blood at a rapid speed (8.92 +/ 1.73 ml/minute) in cases of CSA is not always quite safe so far as pulmonary hemodynamics are concerned and should therefore be avoided.