FFP Transfusion and Nosocomial Infection in Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review

Context: In some studies, Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) transfusion in severely ill patients was accompanied with an increase in the risk of nosocomial infection. However, there are no comprehensive data in terms of FFP transfusion and its relationship with nosocomial infection in heart surgery. Hence, the present systematic review and metaanalysis aimed to investigate the relationship between FFP transfusion and nosocomial infection risk in the patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Evidence Acquisition: Study selection: The present study included all the studies, which probed into nosocomial infection after FFP transfusion in patients with cardiac surgery. Data sources: Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Central, and Scopus electronic databases were searched to the end of March 2019. Results: Finally, five articles and three abstracts that studied nosocomial infection were entered into the present systematic review. FFP increased the rate of nosocomial infection in cardiac surgery in one article, but this was not the case in the remaining four articles. The three abstracts also reported that FFP increased the rate of nosocomial infection in cardiac surgery. Conclusion: The studies indicated that the benefit of FFP administration outweighed the probable risk of infection. Indeed, none of the studies indicated a strong relationship between FFP transfusion and infection rate after cardiac surgery.