Association Of Red Blood Cell Transfusion Research Articles

Impact of Delayed Cord Clamping on Red Blood Cell Transfusion and Related Outcomes in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

Delayed cord clamping (DCC) for 30 to 60 seconds after birth facilitates placental transfusion, increases blood volume, and decreases red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in preterm infants. Study objective was to determine (1) RBC transfusion burden over a 5-year period, (2) impact of DCC practice on RBC transfusions, and (3) association of RBC transfusion on outcomes in very low birthweight (VLBW) preterm infants. A retrospective medical chart review was performed in 787 VLBW infants between 2016 and 2020. Demographic factors, DCC status, number of RBC transfusions, and neonatal outcomes were determined in eligible infants. Adjusted association between DCC, RBC transfusion, and outcomes were determined using logistic and linear regression methods. Of the 538 eligible VLBW infants, 62% (N = 332) received RBC transfusions. Proportion receiving RBC transfusion were significantly higher for infants <1,000 g (N = 217, 65.4%) and gestational age (GA) <29 weeks (N = 256, 77.1%) than larger (1,001-1,250 g, N = 77, 23.2% and 1,251-1,500 g, N = 38, 11.4%) and older GA ≥ 29 weeks' infants (N = 76, 22.9%, p < 0.05). Of the 81/538 (15.1%) who received DCC, 48 (59.2%) received no RBC transfusion (p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, preterm infants with DCC were 55% less likely to receive RBC transfusions as compared with infants with no DCC. At any given GA, the number of RBC transfusions in preterm infants with DCC was 25% lower as compared with infants without DCC (p < 0.05). Transfusion was associated with 8-fold increased odds for bronchopulmonary dysplasia and 4-fold increased odds for medical and surgically treated patent ductus arteriosus compared with no transfusion. There was no significant association of transfusion with neonatal sepsis, laser treated retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, and intraventricular hemorrhage. DCC was significantly associated with reduced RBC transfusion, but fewer preterm infants received DCC. Further research is needed to explore the feasibility of providing neonatal resuscitation during DCC in preterm infants. · Delayed cord clamping significantly reduced the need for RBC transfusions.. · Fewer very preterm infants received DCC.. · Future research is needed to explore feasibility of neonatal resuscitation during DCC..

Relation of Use of Red Blood Cell Transfusion After Acute Coronary Syndrome to Long-Term Mortality

Registry studies have associated red blood cell (RBC) transfusion with increased in-hospital mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The impact on long-term mortality after 1-year follow-up remains unknown. Consecutive patients with ACS (n = 2,009) of a prospective Genetic Predisposition of Coronary Artery Disease cohort were followed for a median of 8.6 years (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.59 to 8.69). After discharge, 1,937 (96%) patients survived for over 30 days. Of those survivors, a subgroup of previously transfusion-naïve patients 85/1,937 (4.4%) who had received at least 1 RBC transfusion during hospitalization were compared with 1,278/1,937 patients (66.0%) who had not received any transfusion either during the hospitalization or the entire follow-up. Unadjusted long-term mortality was significantly higher in the patients transfused with RBC compared with their counterparts not transfused with RBC (58.8% vs 20.3%, p <0.001). The results remained significant for hazard ratio (HR) 1.91, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.63, p <0.001, after multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis and were similar after 1-year landmark analysis (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.34 to 2.70, p <0.001). The higher all-cause mortality was largely explained by cancer mortality (15.3% vs 4.1%, p <0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (34.1% vs 12.1%, p <0.001). After 1:1 propensity score matching (n = 65 vs 65), the association of RBC transfusion with worse survival remained significant (HR 2.70, 95% CI 1.48 to 4.95, p = 0.001). Inverse probability weighted Cox analyses turned out similar results (HR 2.07, 95% CI 1.38 to 3.11, p <0.001). In conclusion, the strong association of need for RBC transfusion with increased mortality continued for patients with ACS even after a 1-year follow-up.

Postoperative red blood cell transfusion and morbid outcome in uncomplicated cardiac surgery patients

To evaluate postoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and its association with postoperative cardiac events and multiorgan morbidity in uncomplicated cardiac surgery patients. A cohort of 945 patients from the 5,436 coronary artery bypass grafting patients enrolled in the international Multicenter Study of Perioperative Ischemia (McSPI) Epidemiology II (EPI II) study was investigated. Inclusion criteria were low to moderate risk profile, postoperative hemoglobin level ≥ 10 g/dl, minimal postoperative blood loss, and no evidence of any morbid event on the day of surgery. RBC transfusion was assessed during the first 24 postoperative hours and cardiac as well as multiorgan outcomes from postoperative day 2 to hospital discharge. Multivariate analysis was applied to assess the effect of RBC transfusion on multiorgan outcomes. A secondary propensity score analysis was performed in 4,465 patients without early postoperative morbid outcomes. Transfused patients (193/945, 20.4%) were more likely to suffer cardiac events (P = 0.03), harvest-site infection (P = 0.002), and composite morbidity outcome (P = 0.04). RBC transfusion was associated with cardiac events on multivariate as well as on propensity score analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.92; P = 0.04), and with harvest-site infection on multivariate analysis. Additionally, propensity score analysis suggested possible associations of RBC transfusion with increased risks for composite morbidity outcome and in-hospital mortality, renal morbidity, pneumonia, and mediastinitis. The data suggest a potential association between postoperative RBC transfusion and increased morbidity for cardiac surgery patients with low to moderate mortality risk profiles, adequate hemoglobin levels, and low bleeding rates.