Hemodynamics, fluids & transfusion
Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit
An erratum to this article was published (JAMA, 6 Aug 2024 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
RBC transfusion was common in patients admitted to ICUs worldwide between 2019 and 2022, with high variability across centers in transfusion practices.
Study context
- Population
- Adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients, 233 ICUs in 30 countries on 6 continents, March 2019 to October 2022
- Participants
- 3,643 patients · 233 ICUs
- Outcome
- Occurrence of RBC transfusion during ICU stay
Methodological detailsinternational, multicentre, data collection in prespecified weeks
- International
- Multicentre
- Data collection in prespecified weeks
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
RBC transfusion during ICU stay
- Patients receiving ≥1 red blood cell (RBC) transfusion
- 894 (25%)
- Units per transfused patient, median (IQR)
- 2 (1-4)
- Proportion transfused across centers
- 0% to 100%
- Proportion transfused across countries
- 0% to 80%
- Proportion transfused across continents
- 19% to 45%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Clinical indications for RBC transfusion (1727 transfusions)
- Low hemoglobin (Hb)
- 1412 [81.8%]
- Lowest Hb before transfusion, mean (SD), g/dL
- 7.4 [1.2]
- Active bleeding
- 479; 27.7%
- Hemodynamic instability
- 406 [23.5%]
Stated physiological triggers
- Hypotension
- 728 [42.2%]
- Tachycardia
- 474 [27.4%]
- Increased lactate
- 308 [17.8%]
Median lowest Hb on days with RBC transfusion
- Range across centers
- 5.2 g/dL to 13.1 g/dL
- Range across countries
- 5.3 g/dL to 9.1 g/dL
- Range across continents
- 7.2 g/dL to 8.7 g/dL
- ICUs transfusing at median Hb >7 g/dL
- ≈84%
Original publication
Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit. JAMA. Published 21 November 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →