Objective: To determine how current hospital practice for transfusions of red cells, platelets and fresh frozen plasma conformed with published criteria.
Design: Elaboration of criteria for transfusion from a review of the current literature; and analysis of the medical records of patients receiving transfusions of red cells (200), platelets (215), and fresh frozen plasma (260) during defined time periods in 1993.
Setting: A large tertiary care teaching hospital.