Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39982126›Full record

Observational studyCritical care explorations2025

Blood Transfusion Practices in Intensive Care: A Prospective Observational Binational Study.

Andrew W J Flint, Alexis Poole, Senta Jorinde Raasveld, Michael Bailey, Karina Brady, Pin-Yen Chen, Yan Chen, D Jamie Cooper, Craig French, Alisa Higgins and 10 more

Abstract readObservational StudyMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Critical care explorations, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
  2. Observational
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Andrew W J FlintTransfusion Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9183-7882
Alexis PooleThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Senta Jorinde RaasveldDepartment of Intensive Care, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Michael BaileyThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Karina BradyTransfusion Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Pin-Yen ChenTransfusion Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Yan ChenDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
D Jamie CooperThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Craig FrenchThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Alisa HigginsThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Adam H IrvingTransfusion Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Richard E McAllisterRoyal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
Ary Serpa NetoThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Tony TrapaniThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Neil WatersTransfusion Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
James WinearlsGold Coast University Hospital, Southport, QLD, Australia.
Michael C ReadeThe Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Erica M WoodTransfusion Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Alexander P J VlaarDepartment of Intensive Care, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Zoe K McQuiltenTransfusion Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council 1189490
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

importanceBlood transfusions are a common and potentially lifesaving intervention in ICU patients but are associated with harm and often transfused inconsistently with guidelines. However, it is not well known how ICU transfusion practice has recently changed and if there is variation in transfusion practice.

objectivesTo describe blood transfusion practices in ICU, the variation in practice across sites, and to compare transfusion practices against national guidelines and with prior published practice. DESIGN, SETTING, AND

participantsA prospective, multicenter, binational, observational study conducted in 40 Australian and New Zealand ICUs from October 2021 to July 2022. All adult (≥ 18 yr) ICU patients admitted over 1 week were included and followed until ICU discharge or 28 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Types of transfusion, thresholds and reasons for transfusions, the use of viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHAs), variation in transfusion practice across sites, and changes in transfusion practice over time.

resultsOf 927 patients, 217 (23.4%) received a blood transfusion during their ICU admission-192 (20.7%) received RBCs, 63 (6.8%) received platelets, 49 (5.3%) received fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and 29 (3.1%) received cryoprecipitate. Massive transfusion protocols were implemented nine times for six patients (0.7%). VHA were used in 25 of 268 (9.3%) non-RBC transfusions. Compared with national guidelines, 89.0% of RBC transfusions, 30.3% of platelet, 27.4% of FFP, and 20.0% of cryoprecipitate transfusions were consistent. Compared with ICU transfusion practices in 2008, after adjusting for confounding variables, ICU patients who received RBC and FFP were transfused more units each, and variation in total transfusions across sites increased for RBC, platelets, and FFP. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Blood transfusions are common in ICU, but the practice is heterogeneous and frequently inconsistent with national guidelines, and the number of units transfused per patient has increased. More evidence is required.

Indexed as

Blood TransfusionCritical CareIntensive Care UnitsAdultAgedAustraliaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew ZealandPractice Guidelines as TopicProspective Studies

Identifiers

PMID39982126
PMCPMC11845186

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.