Decrease seen in RBC units per patient after transition from standard- to small-volume tubes<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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MONDAY, Oct. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Use of small-volume blood collection tubes in the intensive care unit (ICU) may decrease red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>.<\/p>\n Deborah M. Siegal, M.D., from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues determined whether transitioning from standard-volume to small-volume vacuum tubes for blood collection in ICUs reduces RBC transfusion in a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial in 25 adult ICUs in Canada. The ICUs were randomly assigned to transition from standard-volume (10,940 patients) to small-volume (10,261 patients) vacuum tubes for laboratory testing.<\/p>\n The researchers observed no significant difference in RBC units per patient per ICU stay (relative risk, 0.91; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.79 to 1.05). In a prespecified secondary analysis involving 27,411 patients, there was a decrease seen in RBC units per patient per ICU stay after transition from standard- to small-volume tubes (relative risk, 0.88; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.77 to 1.00). The median decrease in transfusion-adjusted hemoglobin did not differ significantly in the primary population and was lower in the secondary population. Before and after the transition, specimens with insufficient quantity for analysis were rare.<\/p>\n “Reducing RBC transfusion, a scarce and costly intervention with well-described risks, is viewed widely as a clinical priority for hospitalized patients,” the authors write. “Although the effects of transitioning to small-volume tubes on RBC transfusion and hemoglobin were modest at the individual patient level, if applied broadly, they could have an impact on hospitals and health systems.”<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n