Patient Blood Management Guidelines Research Articles

Challenges in perioperative blood transfusions in kidney transplantation and the need for Patient Blood Management.

Anemia is highly prevalent in end-stage chronic kidney disease patients, increasing their risk of receiving blood transfusions during and on the days after a kidney transplant (KTx) surgery. However, there is currently a lack of data that thoroughly describes this phenomenon in this population, the associated risk factors, and how they could benefit from the application of Patient Blood Management (PBM) guidelines. Observational study. All adult patients who received a KTx between January 1st, 2020, and December 31st, 2021, were included and followed up to six months after transplantation. Those who received a multiorgan transplant, whose data was missing in the electronic health records, and who had primary non-function were excluded. We recorded donor and recipient characteristics, cold ischemia time, preoperative hemoglobin concentration, iron status deficiency biomarkers, incidence of delayed graft function and biopsy-proven graft rejections, and graft function at discharge and 6 months after transplantation. We found that a high amount (39%) of KTx recipients required at least one blood transfusion during the perioperative period. And that 1) most of these patients had anemia at the time of transplantation (85.4%), 2) iron status upon admission was associated with the transfusion of more blood units (3.9 vs 2.7, p=0.019), 3) surgical reintervention (OR 7.28, 2.35-22.54) and deceased donor donation (OR 1.99, 1.24-3.21) were associated with an increased risk of transfusion, and finally, 4) there was an association between a higher number of blood units transfused and impaired kidney graft function six months after hospital discharge (1.6 vs 1.9, p=0.02). In conclusion, PBM guidelines should be applied to patients on the KTx deceased donor waiting list and especially those scheduled to receive a transplant from a living donor. This could potentially increase the utilization efficiency of blood products and avoid transfusion-related severe adverse effects.

Consensus of the Brazilian association of hematology, hemotherapy and cellular therapy on patient blood management: History and scenario of patient blood management in the world and in Brazil

Patient Blood Management (PBM) is a multidimensional approach that seeks to optimize the use of blood and its components in patients. This matter emerged as a response to the need to reduce unnecessary exposure to blood transfusions and their potential risks. In the past, blood transfusion was often overused resulting in complications and high costs. The advent of Patient Blood Management has caused a paradigm shift, highlighting anemia prevention, bleeding control and maximizing the production of blood cells by the organism itself. Patient Blood Management guidelines include the early identification of anemia, strategies to minimize blood loss during surgery, intraoperative blood conservation techniques, preoperative hemoglobin optimization and evidence-based approaches to the rational use of blood transfusions. Aiming to improve clinical outcomes, decrease transfusion-related complications and reduce associated costs, this multidisciplinary approach counts on doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. Based on research and clinical evidence, Patient Blood Management continues to evolve thereby promoting safer, more effective patient-centered practices. Its implementation has proven beneficial in various medical contexts thereby contributing to improvements in the quality of care provided to patients. Our goal with this Consensus is to present readers with a broad and diverse view of Patient Blood Management so that they have the building blocks to implement this new technique.

Patient blood management guideline for adults with critical bleeding.

The management of patients with critical bleeding requires a multidisciplinary approach to achieve haemostasis, optimise physiology, and guide blood component use. The 2011 Patient blood management guidelines: module 1 - critical bleeding/massive transfusion were updated and published. Systematic reviews were conducted for pre-specified research questions, and recommendations were based on meta-analyses of included studies. The critical bleeding/massive transfusion guideline includes seven recommendations and 11 good practice statements addressing: major haemorrhage protocols (MHPs) facilitating a multidisciplinary approach to haemorrhage control, correction of coagulopathy and normalisation of physiological derangement; measurement of physiological, biochemical and metabolic parameters in critical bleeding/massive transfusion; the optimal ratio of red blood cells to other blood components; the use of tranexamic acid; viscoelastic haemostatic assays; and cell salvage. The new guideline recommends MHPs be established as standard of care in all institutions managing patients with critical bleeding. In addition to routine physiological markers, the new guideline recommends temperature, biochemistry and coagulation profiles be measured early and frequently, providing parameters that define critical derangements. Ratio-based MHPs should include no fewer than four units of fresh frozen plasma and one adult unit of platelets for every eight units of red blood cells. In the setting of trauma and obstetric haemorrhage, administration of tranexamic acid within three hours of bleeding onset is recommended. The use of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) is not recommended. There was insufficient evidence to make recommendations on the use of viscoelastic haemostatic assays or cell salvage as part of MHPs.

Massive Transfusion/Hemorrhage Protocols Versus Goal-Directed Bleeding Management: Science Gone Eerie?

Key questions in bleeding management are “Why does my patient bleed?” and “How to fix it?” To answer the first question, the high negative predictive value of viscoelastic testing can be used to identify coagulopathic bleeding. Accordingly, goal-directed bleeding management (GDBM) guided by viscoelastic testing has been shown to be an effective and essential part of the second pillar of patient blood management (PBM) with the aim to improve patients’ outcomes and safety. Patient’s medical and drug history – with a focus on medication with oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs – are important in emergency, urgent, and elective surgery. Furthermore, risk scores have been developed and validated for traumatic and obstetric hemorrhage and can be helpful tools to predict severe hemorrhage and the need for massive transfusion. Acidosis, hypocalcemia, anemia, and hypothermia (“diamond of death in trauma”) are important basic conditions for hemostasis and good predictors of coagulopathy and should be closely monitored by blood gas analysis and corrected in bleeding patients. Earlier time to hemostasis was associated with decreased mortality in trauma studies. Therefore, GDBM aims to stop the bleeding as soon as possible and avoid the main killers in blood transfusion: Transfusion-associated circulatory overload, transfusion-related acute lung injury, transfusion-related immune modulation, and thrombosis. Thromboelastometry-guided bleeding management follows the concepts of Good Medical Practice and Precision Medicine. Here, rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM)-guided bleeding management algorithms are using a stepwise approach based on the sequence “Treat first what kills first:” (1) Fibrinolysis management, (2) clot firmness management, (3) thrombin generation management, and (4) avoidance of hypercoagulability and thrombosis. Here, thromboelastometry can not only identify patients with hypercoagulability and increased risk of thrombosis but also ROTEM-guided bleeding management can avoid thromboembolic complications, too. This may support the idea of personalized antithrombotic therapy guided by viscoelastic testing in the postoperative period. Finally, PBM is not about blood transfusion: It is about patients’ outcomes. Accordingly, several meta-analyses based on more than 20 randomized controlled trials on the effect of viscoelastic testing-guided perioperative bleeding management did not only demonstrate a significant reduction in transfusion requirements but also a significant reduction in mortality and postoperative acute kidney injury. The reduction in postoperative acute kidney injury again has a significant impact on long-term survival. Accordingly, recent PBM guidelines recommend the implementation of viscoelastic testing-guided bleeding management algorithms with a 1B or 1A recommendation. This is also addressed in the World Health Organization policy brief about the urgent need to implement PBM in all member states in a timely manner. However, even if the number of national activities is increasing, there is still a long way to go.

Anaemia: An Issue Before and After Cardiac Surgery

Evidence suggests that there is a significant gap between the release and adoption of patient blood management guidelines. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of preoperative anaemia and anaemia on hospital discharge in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, including the incidence of transfusion of blood and blood products.

Bir Üniversite Hastanesinin Cerrahi Kliniğinde Çalışan Doktorların Hasta Kan Yönetimine Yönelik Tutumları: Ankete Dayalı Bir Çalışma

Objective: Our aim is to evaluate the attitudes of the doctors working in the surgical clinics of a university hospital on Patient Blood Management (PBM). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Faculty of Medicine between December 2019 and January 2020, after obtaining ethical permission. The survey data were obtained by handing out the survey forms which consist of 33 questions to the doctors working in the hospital’s surgical clinics to fill out. The questions include demographic data, and attitudes on PBM. Results: Fully completed 91 surveys were evaluated. Of the participants, 81% were research assistants and 30% were anesthesiologists. The 61.5% of participants had PBM knowledge, 91% of them knew the relationship between preoperative anemia (POA) and preoperative morbidity, and mortality, and 54% were found to treat POA regularly. The 85% of the participants stated that anemia should be treated before elective surgery, and for this purpose, they transfused erythrocyte suspension (RBC) (67.5%) immediately before surgery. Apart from the hemoglobin (Hb) value, the most commonly used parameter in the RBC transfusion decision was the amount of bleeding >1000 mL. While it was found that the most common practice to reduce intra-operative blood transfusion was the diagnosis and correction of POA (85%), only 27.5% of the participants reported that it is necessary to act restrictively to ensure normothermia and for the Hb threshold value in the decision of transfusion. When participants were asked ‘how should they be treated if they are an anemic patient without cardiopulmonary disease and bleeding’, 69% of them said they ‘want their anemia to be recognized and treated before elective surgery'. Only 22% of the participants were aware that there was no written protocol on PBM in their institution. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that the adoption of PBM guidelines should be encouraged, more momentum should be given to implementing these programs, and other studies in this area are needed. Keywords: Patient blood management, perioperative anemia management, perioperative care

A REVIEW OF EUROPEAN GUIDELINES FOR PATIENT BLOOD MANAGEMENT WITH A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON ANTIFIBRINOLYTIC DRUG ADMINISTRATION FOR CARDIAC SURGERY

<h3>Introduction</h3> Patient blood management (PBM) is a proactive approach towards improving the quality and appropriateness of care. PBM has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2011. The aim is to manage anaemia and bleeding in surgical patients with the objective to minimise the need for transfusion. AntiVbrinolytics play a major role in cardiac surgery, where the risk of perioperative bleeding is high and affects most patients. AntiVbrinolytics effectively reduce bleeding, transfusions, re-operations, and associated morbidity and mortality. They represent an essential part of the pharmacological arsenal of PBM. The authors compared the current available European guidelines in PBM and analysed the place of different antiVbrinolytics in cardiac surgery, according to these guidelines. <h3>Methods</h3> A literature search on European PBM guidelines was performed in December 2020 and repeated in January 2021 using PubMed, Cochrane Database and Google Scholar databases. <h3>Results</h3> Thirteen documents were identiVed, from 6 countries (France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, UK), provided by European Commission or European and/or national learned societies. Of these 13 articles, 10 mentioned cardiac surgery, with 1 fully dedicated to it, and 8 were actual PBM guidelines. <h3>Discussion</h3> Despite the trend towards high-level PBM practices, and the implementation of PBM programs actively supported by the European Commission, national or international PBM guidelines for European countries appear to be both few and heterogeneous in form and content. At the European level, guidelines on bleeding management were published in 2017 by the ESAIC and those dedicated to cardiac surgery were published in 2018 jointly by the EACTS and the EACTA. All the current available guidelines follow and agree on the deVnition of PBM as deVned by the WHO, supported by three pillars: optimizing blood volume, minimising blood loss and optimizing the patient's tolerance to anaemia. Most of them were divided according to the three main surgical phases: preoperative, perioperative and post-operative. Anaemia management appears as a cornerstone of PBM in all guidelines, followed by limiting blood loss during surgical procedures to reduce transfusions and limit the risk of reoperation for bleeding. In this context, the European and national PBM guidelines all recommend the prophylactic use of antiVbrinolytics to avoid or reduce perioperative bleeding. However, they differ in the type of antiVbrinolytic recommended, when it should be given and how (bolus or infusion or both), including the dose and timing. Indeed, when mentioned, the dosing to be used generally differs from one guideline to another. Most guidelines recommend only the use of tranexamic acid. Aprotinin is rarely mentioned, partly because of its recent reintroduction in Europe (Table 1). The implementation of PBM practices in Europe is still challenging, as there is a real need for more homogenous guidance in PBM and in the use of antiVbrinolytics, especially in cardiac surgery. New clinical data to promote the use of antiVbrinolytics could be of interest to improve, accelerate and deploy PBM implementation at a large scale.

Large Population Dataset Linkage to Understand Evolving Practice in Red Cell and Platelet Transfusion and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS): A 15-Year Study

Aim: Transfusions are frequently administered for anemia and thrombocytopenia in MDS. However, evidence to guide transfusion remains sparse, along with data about real-world MDS transfusion practices, transfusion-related outcomes and changes over time with increasing access to disease-modifying therapies. In Australia, from 2011, 5-azacitidine was funded through the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) for patients with IPSS classification intermediate-2 or high-risk MDS, or Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia-2 (CMML-2). Australian Patient Blood Management (PBM) guidelines were also first published in 2011. We aimed to characterise red blood cell (RBC) and platelet transfusion practices, and transfusion-related outcomes of MDS and CMML patients over a 15 year period, and explore whether access to disease-modifying therapies or the introduction of PBM guidelines impacted on transfusion requirements.Methods: Retrospective longitudinal cohort study including all patients with MDS/CMML admitted to hospitals in Victoria, Australia's second most populous state, from 2002-2017. Data linkage from the Victorian Admissions Episode Dataset (VAED) (contains data from all public and private hospital admissions in Victoria, including all transfusion episodes), the Victorian Cancer Registry and the Victorian Death Index was performed. We analysed transfusion episodes and outcome events (cardiac ischemia/failure, transfusion reactions, bleeding).Results: 6771 patients with a diagnosis of MDS/CMML reported to the Cancer Registry were included (5970 MDS; 801 CMML). The cohort was elderly (>50% aged 70y and over) and predominantly male (male 61%; female 39%). The majority of patients had a low number of comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Score: 60% low (0-2); 32% moderate (3-5); 8% high (≥6)).Of the 179 patients on 5-azacitidine, 38 (21.2%) commenced prior to 2011 and 141 (78.8%) from 2011 onwards. Patients on 5-azacitidine were more likely to be RBC transfusion dependent (TD) (defined as 2 or more RBC transfusions within 16 weeks) (77.7.1% vs 49.9%, p<0.001) and receive platelet transfusions (54.2% vs 28.6%, p<0.001).During the study period, the patients had a total of 142,765 hospital admissions. 66,068 (46.3%) admissions involved RBC transfusion, with median 3 admissions (IQR 1-10) per patient and median 14 days (IQR 14-33) between transfusions. 3433 (50.7%) of patients were RBC transfusion-dependent (TD). Comparing pre-and post-2011, the proportion of admissions involving RBC transfusion, median number of RBC transfusion admissions per patient, and rates of RBC-TD decreased (table 1). Cardiac events were common, and more frequent in RBC-TD patients (acute cardiac ischemia 14.6% vs 10.3%, p<0.001; acute cardiac failure 27.3% vs 14.1%,p<0.001).10,049 (7.0%) admissions involved platelet transfusion. Platelet transfusion admissions increased over time (table 1). Median time between platelet transfusions was 7 days (IQR 4-16). 2436 patients (36.0%) experienced bleeding, including 51.3% of platelet-transfused patients. The commonest bleeding site was gastrointestinal (n=1388, 20.5%). Intracranial bleeding occurred in 175 patients (2.6%). 300 patients (4.4%) died from bleeding complications, with higher bleeding-related mortality in platelet-transfused patients (7.0% vs 3.4%, p<0.001) and RBC-TD patients (5.2% vs 4.0%, p=0.001).Conclusion: This study highlights the high transfusion burden in MDS patients, and related adverse cardiac and bleeding outcomes and mortality. RBC transfusion requirements reduced over time but platelet transfusions increased. This may be related to changing availability or use of MDS therapies, or clinical transfusion decision-making practices, or both - although national PBM guidelines do not specify a particular hemoglobin threshold for chronically transfused MDS patients, clinicians may be extrapolating from recommendations for restrictive transfusion thresholds in other settings (e.g. critical care, perioperative transfusion). These data will help design future MDS transfusion trials, which should include quality-of-life and health economics outcomes, given the burden of transfusion on these elderly patients. [Display omitted] DisclosuresShortt: Amgen: Research Funding; Astex: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Wood: Amgen, Celgene, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, Takeda: Research Funding; Abbvie, Amgen, Antengene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda.: Other: The Australian and New Zealand Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) has received funding from Abbvie, Amgen, Antengene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda. .

Effect of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on blood product usage at the University of Pécs

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patient care is pronounced also in Hungary. Blood supply was hindered by the reduction of public blood donation events, the reduced willingness to donate, and the difficult predictability of blood product demand as a result of the epidemiological regulations. The wider application of Patient Blood Management guidelines in the medical practice will promote optimal blood product utilization by avoiding transfusions where possible. The aim of our study was to assess the changes in the usage of blood products in the first five months of 2020 at the Clinical Center of the University of Pécs, Janus Pannonius Clinical Building. In the period following the epidemiological measures, we found reduction in the number of hospitalized patients (34.08%), in the number of patients requiring transfusion (39.69%) and in the number of red blood cell products used (46.41%). The number of transfused red blood cell concentrates per patient was also significantly reduced (from 2.61 to 1.97) in this period. The number of transfused fresh frozen plasma units and platelet concentrates also decreased by approximately 30%. After the implementation of the strict restrictions, despite the difficulties, it was possible to provide patients with sufficient blood products. Due to the efforts of both the Regional Blood Transfusion Center of Pécs of the Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service and of the clinicians, a new balance was established between the demand and the supply of blood products, which provided adequate care for the necessary transfusions. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(43): 1717-1723.

1377Did patient blood management guidelines reduce the rate of blood transfusion in pregnancy?

Abstract Background Concern about increasing transfusion rates, adverse effects and increased costs have led to international efforts to reduce transfusion rates. Australian patient blood management guidelines were first introduced for critical bleeding in 2011, followed by obstetric guidelines in 2015. This study examines obstetric transfusion rates before and after the introduction of the critical bleeding and obstetric guidelines, accounting for pregnancy characteristics and prior trajectories. Methods Data were obtained from linked birth and hospital records from NSW between January 2002 and December 2017. Changes in raw and risk adjusted transfusion rates over time were investigated using interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in the trend in rate of transfusion among pregnant women with the introduction of each set of guidelines. Sensitivity analysis was performed to identify patterns in the data independently from the interventions. Results Data for 1,477,001 births in NSW from 2002 to 2017 were available for analysis. Preliminary analysis suggests the increasing rate of transfusion from 2002 was flattened after the introduction of the 2011 guidelines, with a significantly decreasing trend observed after the 2015 obstetric guidelines were introduced. Conclusions Patient blood management guidelines were associated with a reduction in the rate of obstetric transfusion in NSW. Key messages A focus on patient blood management was associated with an approximately 30% reduction in the transfusion rate, compared to the predicted rate, by the end of the study period. Future work will investigate whether this change in transfusion rates is associated with a change in rates of adverse outcomes.

Economic Evaluation of National Patient Blood Management Clinical Guidelines in Cardiac Surgery

ObjectivesTo the best of our knowledge, no published clinical guidelines have ever undergone an economic evaluation to determine whether their implementation represented an efficient allocation of resources. Here, we perform an economic evaluation of national clinical guidelines designed to reduce unnecessary blood transfusions before, during, and after surgery published in 2012 by Australia’s sole public blood provider, the National Blood Authority (NBA). MethodsWe performed a cost analysis from the government perspective, comparing the NBA’s cost of implementing their perioperative patient blood management guidelines with the estimated resource savings in the years after publication. The impact on blood products, patient outcomes, and medication use were estimated for cardiac surgeries only using a large national registry. We adopted conservative counterfactual positions over a base-case 3-year time horizon with outcomes predicted from an interrupted time-series model controlling for differences in patient characteristics and hospitals. ResultsThe estimated indexed cost of implementing the guidelines of A$1.5 million (2018-2019 financial year prices) was outweighed by the predicted blood products resource saving alone of A$5.1 million (95% confidence interval A$1.4 million-A$8.8 million) including savings of A$2.4 million, A$1.6 million, and A$1.2 million from reduced red blood cell, platelet, and fresh frozen plasma use, respectively. Estimated differences in patient outcomes were highly uncertain and estimated differences in medication were financially insignificant. ConclusionsInsofar as they led to a reduction in red blood cell, platelet, and fresh frozen plasma use during cardiac surgery, implementing the perioperative patient blood management guidelines represented an efficient use of the NBA’s resources.

Craniosynostosis With Preoperative Iron Supplementation Exposure: A Retrospective Cohort Study Examining Preoperative Iron Supplementation and Transfusion Practice in a National Paediatric Craniofacial Centre.

Blood loss and subsequent transfusion are key concerns in the surgical management of craniosynostosis, and have been associated with increased morbidity, requirement for intensive care admission and increased length of hospital stay. Patient blood management guidelines advocate treatment of anemia before elective surgical procedures where significant blood loss is anticipated. At present there is little evidence in the literature investigating the clinical value of this practice in pediatric craniofacial surgery. The authors examined the effect of preoperative oral iron supplementation on blood loss and transfusion rates in a national pediatric craniofacial unit. A total of 157 patients were included in a retrospective and prospective observational cohort study conducted between July 2011 and November 2016. Eighty-five (85) patients included in the preoperative iron supplementation group were prescribed oral ferrous fumarate before total cranial vault reconstruction, frontal-orbital advancement or extended strip cranial vault remodeling procedures. This cohort was retrospectively compared to seventy-two (72) consecutive patients who did not receive iron supplementation. Calculated blood loss was 51.3 mL/kg in the intervention group, and 56.65 mL/kg in the control group. Transfusion rate and mean volumes for the intervention group were 85.9% and 25 mL/kg. The control group had transfusion rate of 86.1% with mean transfused volume of 24.7 mL/kg. These differences were not statistically significant. Intraoperative tranexamic acid was associated with significantly reduced transfusion volumes overall. This study did not show a statistically significant benefit to preoperative iron supplementation. Secondary outcomes of this study showed a statistically significant difference in estimated versus calculated intraoperative blood loss. Further research in to specific iron supplementation protocols is indicated.

New trend in transfusion medicine – Patient blood management

Abstract Transfusion is often part of hospital care, the indication being in constant change as an effect of latest multicentric studies’ result. Although transfusion-related complications decreased significantly, the intervention still involves risks, that are worth assuming if only the anemia of patient cannot be managed with other, safer methods. Management of patients declining transfusion or of those unsuitable for transfusion has brought instructive results in assessment of hemoglobin concentration conditioning the necessity of the intervention. Further development of these findings led to development of Patient Blood Management concept, aiming the optimization of blood product usage while improving morbidity and mortality of patient care. Patient Blood Management applies guides helping to avoid transfusions that are not definitely necessary for patients. Using restrictive transfusion principles, preoperative anemia management, tight hemostasis monitoring and treatment, is not only safer but also cost-effective. The objective of our paper is the brief report of some Patient Blood Management guidelines, and to promote and facilitate the application of the new approach.

A Theoretically Informed Approach to Support the Implementation of Pre-Operative Anemia and Iron Deficiency Screening, Evaluation, and Management Pathways: Protocol for a Type Two Hybrid-Effectiveness Study.

IntroductionBlood transfusions are a risk factor for increased morbidity, mortality, and length of hospital stay. Patient blood management guidelines provide guidance to reduce risk and improve patient outcomes. They outline steps to help prevent transfusions and considerations for when deciding to transfuse. One recommendation to prevent unnecessary transfusion is to optimize patients using Pre-operative Anemia and Iron Deficiency Screening, Evaluation and Management Pathways (PAIDSEM-P). The uptake of these recommendations is highly variable, and an effective approach to implementing them in a tailored and context-specific manner remains elusive.Method and DesignA mixed-methods, interventional study, using a type two-hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, will evaluate the impact of a change package to improve the uptake of PAIDSEM-P. The change package consists of the intervention (PAIDSEM-P) supported by theoretically informed implementation strategies. Pre- and post-implementation, retrospective health record reviews will determine the effect of the change package on provider outcomes, including compliance with guideline recommendations as measured by the proportion of patients who have the appropriate tests performed, and, if required, appropriate treatment and/or referrals. Patient outcomes will be measured by checking for any difference in the proportion of patients with anemia on the day of surgery and the proportion of patients who receive a blood transfusion during the peri-operative period. An economic evaluation will be conducted to compare health outcomes and costs. The feasibility, acceptability and appropriateness of the PAIDSEM-P will be assessed using a quantitative, validated survey to measure implementation outcomes.DiscussionTesting of implementation theory is required to advance understanding of what works, in what context, and the impact on implementation success. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a theoretically informed change package on improving the uptake of PAIDSEM-P. If successful, it will also provide a framework for health care facilities to follow when addressing other evidence-practice gaps.

Pathophysiologic and anaesthetic considerations in iron deficiency anaemia and pregnancy; An update

Anaemia is common during pregnancy, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia worldwide. Symptoms relating to iron deficiency can be diverse, which relate to the depletion of cellular Fe function in different tissue organs and may exist long before Fe deficiency restricts erythropoiesis and anaemia develops. It is important to understand the pathophysiological and adaptation changes occurring during anaemia as long-standing changes affect the various organ systems and may impact both maternal and neonatal outcomes. There is growing evidence linking maternal IDA with subsequent neonatal cognitive and neurobehavioral outcomes, which makes it imperative that IDA should be treated early in pregnancy. Preoperative optimization with iron therapy (oral or parenteral) and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents vs replenishing O2-carrying capacity by transfusion must always be balanced against transfusion-associated risks. The anaesthetic management in parturients with severe anaemia depends on a multitude of factors, such as severity of iron deficiency anaemia, co-morbid diseases, extent of physiological compensation, and type and nature of anticipated haemorrhagic loss. This review summarizes the pathophysiological changes and adaptations consequent to oxygen delivery and iron homeostasis, therapeutic management, and anaesthetic challenges in pregnancy with IDA. It is based on electronic search strategies from Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase and PubMed (up to June 2021) along with relevant college and society web-based resources, including Royal College of Obstetricians and Anaesthesiologists, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence College and Society (NICE), Patient Blood Management Guidelines and American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) practice bulletins.

Patient blood management in India - Review of current practices and feasibility of applying appropriate standard of care guidelines. A position paper by an interdisciplinary expert group.

In a developing country like India, with limited resources and access to healthcare facilities, dealing with massive hemorrhage is a major challenge. This challenge gets compounded by pre-existing anemia, hemostatic disorders, and logistic issues of timely transfer of such patients from peripheral hospitals to centers with adequate resources and management expertise. Despite the awareness amongst healthcare providers regarding management modalities of bleeding patients, no uniform Patient Blood Management (PBM) or perioperative bleeding management protocols have been implemented in India, yet. In light of this, an interdisciplinary expert group came together, comprising of experts working in transfusion medicine, hematology, obstetrics, anesthesiology and intensive care, to review current practices in management of bleeding in Indian healthcare institutions and evaluating the feasibility of implementing uniform PBM guidelines. The specific intent was to perform a gap analysis between the ideal and the current status in terms of practices and resources. The expert group identified interdisciplinary education in PBM and bleeding management, bleeding history, viscoelastic and platelet function testing, and the implementation of validated, setting-specific bleeding management protocols (algorithms) as important tools in PBM and perioperative bleeding management. Here, trauma, major surgery, postpartum hemorrhage, cardiac and liver surgery are the most common clinical settings associated with massive blood loss. Accordingly, PBM should be implemented as a multidisciplinary and practically applicable concept in India in a timely manner in order to optimize the use the precious resource blood and to increase patients' safety.

South African Society of Anaesthesiologists Perioperative Patient Blood Management Guidelines 2020

Anaesthesiologists regularly request and administer blood components to their patients, a potentially life-saving intervention. All anaesthesiologists must be familiar with the indications and appropriate use of blood and blood components and their alternatives, but close liaison with haematologists and their local haematology blood sciences laboratory is encouraged. In the last decade, there have been considerable changes in approaches to optimal use of blood components, together with the use of alternative products, with a need to update previous guidelines and adapt them for anaesthesiologists working throughout the hospital system.

Intravenous iron infusion as an alternative to minimize blood transfusion in peri-operative patients

Despite the reported benefits of intravenous iron therapy (IVIT) for correcting iron deficiency anemia (IDA) before any major surgery and the evidence thereof, perioperative allogenic blood transfusion (ABT) practice is still considered as the only viable option by some clinicians worldwide. As ABT increases the likelihood of infections, cardiac complications, longer hospital stays and mortality among the patients, the practice of ABT should only be reserved for critical cases (Hb level < 7 g/dl). Timely iron studies and iron replenishment (oral/IV) of prospective surgical patients could help decrease the ABT practice, and prove beneficial from both the clinical and economic standpoint. Evidence based patient blood management guidelines should be developed and standardized for use by clinicians worldwide. These guidelines should include specific instructions on timely assessment of surgical patients for correction of their IDA by either oral iron supplementation, if time permits, or by using IVIT such as ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in emergency surgeries and in patients with functional ID. This study was conducted to explore the clinical benefits of the timely administration of IV-FCM in iron-deficient preoperative patients during 2017–2018 and compare the results thereof with that of the ABT. Based on the IDA treatment plan of 2953 patients, 11.14% cases were administered IV FCM (Group 1), 11.58% cases received ABT (Group 2), while the remaining 77.27% of anemic cases received neither ABT nor IV FCM (Group 3). The results indicate that the IV FCM administration reduces the need for ABT and thus minimizes its associated side effects. The findings of our study concur with the favorable outcomes reported by the other similar studies.

&lt;p&gt;Preoperative Anemia Screening and Treatment Practices in Patients Having Total Joint Replacement Surgery: A Retrospective, Observational Audit&lt;/p&gt;

BackgroundSurgical patients with preoperative anemia are more likely to experience adverse outcomes. Patient blood management (PBM) guidelines recommend screening and treating patients for anemia preoperatively to enable optimisation before surgery. This study investigates compliance with PBM guidelines and reports the association between length of stay and transfusion risk in patients with preoperative anemia.Study Design and MethodsA retrospective, observational, chart audit that included all patients having primary, total hip and knee replacement surgery between July–December 2018 at a tertiary, metropolitan healthcare facility.ResultsSix hundred and seven patients patients were included, 96% (n = 583) patients had blood tests available (full blood count), and 8.1% (n = 49) had iron studies. Most patients 53% (n = 324) were screened between 2 and 6 days before surgery; 14.6% (n = 85) were anaemic preoperatively and only 5.9% (n = 5) of anaemic patients received treatment. Patients who had anemia preoperatively were more likely to receive a blood transfusion (odds ratio 8.65 [95% CI 3.98–18.76]) and stayed longer in hospital (median difference = 1, χ2 LR = 17.2, df=1, p<0.007).ConclusionTests ordered for patients having major surgery should include iron studies, renal function, CRP and full blood count to enable detection and classification of preoperative anemia. Timing of screening relative to surgery needs to be sufficient to allow patient optimisation to occur. Appropriate treatment should be provided to anaemic patients to prevent unnecessary blood transfusions and reduce the length of stay. A standardised preoperative anemia pathway may assist in improving practice.

Embedding best transfusion practice and blood management in neonatal intensive care

BackgroundTransfusion is a common procedure for neonates receiving intensive care management. Recognising a paucity of patient blood management (PBM) programmes in neonates, we aimed to embed blood management and best...