Xiaohan (Annie) Xu, MD

Dr. Xiaohan Xu received her medical degree from Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) in Beijing, China. She subsequently completed a combined residency and postdoctoral research training program in the Department of Anesthesiology at PUMC Hospital. After graduation, she worked as a physician-scientist at PUMC Hospital before joining the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at BIDMC in 2024.

Dr. Xu has conducted multiple cohort studies using large databases, primarily focusing on the impact of blood transfusion on postoperative outcomes. Her research has demonstrated that perioperative packed red blood cell transfusion is associated with an increased risk of postoperative infection and delirium in a dose-dependent manner. However, the storage age of transfused red blood cells does not appear to significantly affect outcomes. She also found that inappropriate transfusion of fresh frozen plasma is linked to an elevated risk of mortality and DVT. In the obstetric population, Dr. Xu investigated transfusion strategies and found that patients with moderate thrombocytopenia did not experience increased blood loss during cesarean section. Additionally, she developed a deep learning-based model to predict the amount of blood transfusion needed in an institution or city over the coming months, a project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Her research interests also extend to environmental health. Using a multi-city database, she found that short-term preoperative exposure to air pollutants—including PM2.5, PM10, and ozone—is associated with a higher risk of postoperative pneumonia.