Blood transfusions after CABG are correlated in a dose-related fashion to an increased risk of transfusion-related infection, postoperative infection, postoperative morbidity, and early and late death.959 962 In addition, they have been associated with a higher incidence of sternal wound infections.949,963,964 In a retrospective analysis of 15 592 cardiovascular patients, the risk of septicemia/bacteremia and Superficial and deep sternal wound infections increased incrementally with each unit of blood transfused.961 The leukocytes that are present in packed red blood cells induce the immunomodu- latory effects associated with blood transfusions. Allo- genic transfusions of blood containing leukocytes induce higher concentrations of proinflammatory mediators (such as interleukins 6 and 10) than does the transfusion of leukocyte-depleted blood.924 927,965 In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, RCTs have shown that those receiving leukocyte-filtered blood have lower rates of perioperative infection and in-hospital death than those receiving non leukocyte-filtered blood.924 927 An RCT showed that those receiving leukocyte-depleted blood had a reduced rate of ity (transfused/nonfiltered patient mortality rate, 7.8%; trans- fused/filtered at the time of donation, 3.6%; and transfused/ filtered at the time of transfusion, 3.3% [P 0.019]).927 Leukodepletion can be accomplished by the blood bank at the time of donation or at the bedside at the time of transfusion (with the use of an inexpensive in-line transfusion filter). Preoperative antibiotics reduce the risk of postoperative infection 5-fold.892 Interest has grown in administering anti- biotic prophylaxis as a single dose rather than as a multiple- dosing regimen for 24 to 48 hours, because single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis reduces the duration of prophylaxis, its cost, and the likelihood of antimicrobial resistance. Staphylococcus coagulase negative epidermidis or S. au- reus (including methicillin-resistant S. aureus) account for 50% of surgical site infections. 