Mediastinitis and blood transfusion in cardiac surgery: a systematic review.

Background: Mediastinitis, a serious complication after cardiac surgery, increases morbidity, mortality, and cost of care. Accumulating evidence implicates blood transfusions in the development of mediastinitis.

Objectives: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the association between allogeneic blood transfusion and mediastinitis in adult cardiac surgery patients.