Implementing a protocol to optimize blood use in a cardiac surgery service: results of a pre-post analysis and the impact of high-volume blood users

Red Blood Cell Transfusion in Critically Ill Adults: An American College of Chest Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline

BACKGROUND

Blood products frequently are administered to critically ill patients. Considering recent trials and practice variability, a comprehensive review of current evidence was deemed essential to offer pertinent guidance to critical care practitioners. This American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) guidelines panel examined the literature on RBC transfusions among critically ill patients overall and specific subgroups, including patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), cardiac surgery, isolated troponin elevation, and septic shock, to provide evidence-based recommendations.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A panel of experts developed six Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome questions addressing RBC transfusions in critically ill patients and performed a comprehensive evidence review. The panel applied the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations approach to assess the certainty of evidence and to formulate and grade recommendations. A modified Delphi technique was used to reach consensus on the recommendations.

RESULTS

The initial search identified a total of 3,082 studies, and after the initial screening, 38 articles were reviewed. Among them, 23 studies met inclusion criteria, comprising 22 randomized controlled trials and one cohort study. Based on the analysis of these studies, the panel formulated two strong and four conditional recommendations. The overall quality of evidence for recommendations ranged from very low to moderate.

CONCLUSIONS

In most critically ill patients, a restrictive strategy was preferable to a permissive approach because it does not increase the risk of death or complications, but does decrease RBC use significantly. Data from critically ill subpopulations also supported a restrictive approach, except in patients with ACS, for whom favoring a restrictive approach could increase adverse outcomes.

Comparison of Perioperative Outcomes for Transfusion of Hemoconcentrated Bypass Versus Cell Saver Blood in Cardiac Surgical Patients

OBJECTIVE

Hemoconcentration and cell saver use are blood conservation techniques that are often used in cardiac surgery to salvage the patient's own blood to reduce autologous transfusion. The purpose of this study was to examine the perioperative outcomes including transfusion rates in cardiac surgical patients receiving hemoconcentrated blood versus cell saver blood via retrospective chart review. We hypothesized that hemoconcentration would have better patient outcomes, including reduced transfusion rates, compared to only cell salvage technique.

DESIGN

Single-center, retrospective chart review case-control study SETTING: Cardiac operating room of a tertiary care center PARTICIPANTS: Patients over 18 years old who underwent elective open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass between January 2015 to January 2018. Patients for emergencies, off-pump cases, transplants, and reoperations and with a need for second bypass were excluded.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The specific outcomes assessed include perioperative transfusion of packed red blood cells and blood products, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, hospital length of stay, and surgical site infections. Patient characteristics such as ejection fraction and comorbidities, pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation history, and coagulation dysfunction were also analyzed. Propensity score matching was done to balance the covariates between the groups. The differences for each outcome outlined above were calculated. Of the 744 observations, 735 were used for analysis after propensity matching. Postoperative ICU red blood cell transfusions recorded a mean difference of -0.37 (95% CI: -0.78, 0.04). Postoperative ICU platelets and fresh frozen plasma recorded mean differences of -0.01 (95% CI: -0.11, 0.09) and -0.08 (95% CI: -0.19, 0.03), respectively. There were no significant differences in outcomes in bivariate- and covariate-adjusted models.

CONCLUSIONS

There is no significant difference in postoperative blood transfusion rates in hemoconcentrated versus cell saver blood usage in cardiac surgery patients. Further studies are needed to analyze specific quantities and ratios of hemoconcentrated and cell saver blood used in these patients for a more clinically relevant analysis. This would allow incorporation of hemoconcentration and cell saver techniques into better blood conservation processes and guide overall transfusion strategies to reduce transfusion rates of blood and blood products in cardiac surgical patients.

The Adherence to an Intraoperative Blood Product Transfusion Algorithm Is Associated With Reduced Blood Product Transfusions in Cardiac Surgical Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts and Aortic and/or Valve Replacement Surgery: A Single-Center, Observational Study

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the value of a viscoelastic-based intraoperative transfusion algorithm to reduce non-RBC product administration in adult cardiac surgical patients.

DESIGN

A prospective observational study.

SETTING

At a quaternary academic teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Cardiac surgical patients.

INTERVENTIONS

Viscoelastic-based intraoperative transfusion algorithm.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The study authors compared intraoperative blood product transfusion rates in 184 cardiac surgical patients to 236 historic controls after implementing a viscoelastic-based algorithm. The authors found a non-significant reduction in transfusion of 23.8% for fresh frozen plasma (FFP) units (0.84 ± 1.4 v 0.64 ± 1.38; p = ns), 33.4% for platelet units (0.90 ± 1.39 v 0.60 ± 131; p = ns), and 15.8% for cryoprecipitate units (0.19 ± 0.54 v 0.16 ± 0.50; p = ns). They found a 43.9% reduction in red blood cell (RBC) units transfused (1.98 ± 2.24 v 0.55 ± 1.36; p = 0.008). There were no statistically significant differences in time to extubation (8.0 hours (4.0-21.0) v 8.0 (4.0-22.3), reoperation for bleeding (15 [12.3%] v 10 [10.6%]), intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS) (51.0 hours [28.0-100.5] v 53.5 [33.3-99.0]) or hospital LOS (9.0 days [6.0-15.0] v 10.0 [7.0-17.0]). Deviation from algorithm adherence was 32.7% (48/147). Packed RBC, FFP, platelets, cryoprecipitate, and cell saver were significantly reduced in the Algorithm Compliant Cohort compared with historic controls, whereas times to extubation, ICU LOS, and hospital LOS did not reach significance.

CONCLUSIONS

After the implementation of a viscoelastic-based algorithm, patients received fewer packed RBC, FFP, platelets, cryoprecipitate, and cell saver. Algorithm-compliant patients received fewer transfusions; however, reductions in times to extubation, ICU LOS, and hospital LOS were not statistically significant compared with historic controls.

Reoperation for bleeding after cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

Postoperative cardio-surgical haemostatic management is centre-specific and experience-based, which leads to a variability in patient care. This study aimed to identify which postoperative haemostatic interventions may reduce the need for reoperation after cardiac surgery in adults.

METHODS

A retrospective case-control study in a tertiary centre. Adult, elective, primary cardiac surgical patients were selected (n = 2098); cases (n = 42) were patients who underwent reoperation within 72 h after the initial surgery. Interventions administered to control surgical bleeding were compared for the need to re-operate using multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

Rate of cardiac surgical reoperation was 2% in the study population. Three variables were found to be associated with cardiac reoperation: preoperative administration of fresh frozen plasma (OR 5.45, CI 2.34-12.35), cumulative volume of chest tube drainage and cumulative count of packed red blood cells transfusion on ICU (OR 1.98, CI 1.56-2.51).

CONCLUSION

No significant difference among specific types of postoperative haemostatic interventions was found between patients who needed reoperation and those who did not. Perioperative transfusion of fresh frozen plasma, postoperative transfusion of packed cells and cumulative volume of chest tube drainage were associated with reoperation after cardiac surgery. These variables could help predict the need for reoperation.