ArticleHaematologica2012
Significant reduction of red blood cell transfusion requirements by changing from a double-unit to a single-unit transfusion policy in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation.
Article in Haematologica, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02461264 (Randomized Multicenter Trial of Two Transfusion Strategies for Patient Receiving Chemotherapy for Acute Leukemia or Hematopoietic Stem Cells With Medico-economic Evaluation of Cost Minimization.), which is not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Randomized Multicenter Trial of Two Transfusion Strategies for Patient Receiving Chemotherapy for Acute Leukemia or Hematopoietic Stem Cells With Medico-economic Evaluation of Cost Minimization.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Larger versus smaller red blood cell volume per transfusion in hospitalized adults, children and preterm neonates.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Restrictive versus liberal red blood cell transfusion strategies for people with haematological malignancies treated with intensive chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or both, with or without haematopoietic stem cell support.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Recommendations on RBC Transfusion Support in Children With Hematologic and Oncologic Diagnoses From the Pediatric Critical Care Transfusion and Anemia Expertise Initiative.Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies · 2018Guideline
- Restrictive versus liberal red blood cell transfusion strategies for people with haematological malignancies treated with intensive chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or both, with or without haematopoietic stem cell support.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Risk factors for blood transfusion in traumatic and postpartum hemorrhage patients: Analysis of the CRASH-2 and WOMAN trials.PloS one · 2020Trial
- Transfusion strategy in hematological intensive care unit: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Trials · 2015Trial
- Perioperative Patient Blood Management in Primary Knee and Hip Arthroplasty-Nonsense or Necessity?Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Patient characteristics and clinical determinants of outpatient red cell transfusions.Transfusion · 2025Article
- Anemia diagnosis and therapy in malignant diseases: implementation of guidelines-a representative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Observational
- The association of disease type, pre-transplant hemoglobin level and platelet count with transfusion requirement after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Caspian journal of internal medicine · 2021Article
- Management and prevention of anemia (acute bleeding excluded) in adult critical care patients.Annals of intensive care · 2020Review
- Essential Role of Patient Blood Management in a Pandemic: A Call for Action.Anesthesia and analgesia · 2020Review
- Implementation of a patient blood management program in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Editorial, p. 2763).Transfusion · 2019Observational
- Single versus double-unit transfusion: Safety and efficacy for patients with hematologic malignancies.European journal of haematology · 2019Article
- Reducing two-unit red cell transfusions on the oncology ward: a choosing wisely initiative.BMJ open quality · 2019Article
- Shifting ground and gaps in transfusion support of patients with hematological malignancies.Hematology. American Society of Hematology. Education Program · 2018Review
- Risk factors for peripartum blood transfusion in South Africa: a case-control study.Transfusion · 2018Article
- Impact of a Patient Blood Management Program and an Outpatient Anemia Management Protocol on Red Cell Transfusions in Oncology Inpatients and Outpatients.The oncologist · 2016Observational
- Intraoperative transfusion practices in Europe.British journal of anaesthesia · 2016Observational
- Replacing the Transfusion of 1-2 Units of Blood with Plasma Expanders that Increase Oxygen Delivery Capacity: Evidence from Experimental Studies.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2014Review
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTraditionally, single-unit red blood cell transfusions were believed to be insufficient to treat anemia, but recent data suggest that they may lead to a safe reduction of transfusion requirements. We tested this hypothesis by changing from a double- to a single-unit red blood cell transfusion policy. DESIGN AND
methodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study in patients with hematologic malignancies receiving intensive chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The major end-points were the reduction in the total number of red blood cell units per therapy cycle and per day of aplasia. The study comprised 139 patients who received 272 therapy cycles. Overall 2212 red blood cell units were administered in 1548 transfusions.
resultsDuring the periods of the double- and single-unit policies, one red blood cell unit was transfused in 25% and 84% of the cases and the median number of red blood cell units per transfusion was two and one, respectively. Single-unit transfusion led to a 25% reduction of red blood cell usage per therapy cycle and 24% per aplasia day, but was not associated with a higher out-patient transfusion frequency. In multivariate analysis, single-unit transfusion resulted in a reduction of 2.7 red blood cell units per treatment cycle (P = 0.001). The pre-transfusion hemoglobin levels were lower during the single-unit period (median 61 g/L versus 64 g/L) and more transfusions were administered to patients with hemoglobin values of 60 gl/L or less (47% versus 26%). There was no evidence of more severe bleeding or more platelet transfusions during the single-unit period and the overall survival was similar in both cohorts.
conclusionsImplementing a single-unit transfusion policy saves 25% of red blood cell units and, thereby, reduces the risks associated with allogeneic blood transfusions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.