Liberal transfusion strategy improves survival in perioperative but not in critically ill patients. A meta-analysis of randomised trials

Abstract

According to randomized published evidence, perioperative adult patients have an improved survival when receiving a liberal blood transfusion strategy.

Randomized Evidence for Reduction of Perioperative Mortality: An Updated Consensus Process

“…Notably, a recent meta-analyses 63 confirmed that EBM is in favor of a liberal transfusion strategy in surgical patients, and the results of the TRICS III trial 64 will hopefully provide clearer insights about this topic.…”

Anemia and Blood Transfusion in the Critically Ill Patient with Cardiovascular Disease

“…Two recent systematic reviews in cardiac surgery [19] and in perioperative transfusion practice (including cardiac surgery) [20] reported higher mortality with a restrictive transfusion threshold. Our systematic review [21] found only 11 blood transfusion threshold randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included patients with co-existing CVD, either as the whole population [10,[22][23][24], as a pre-defined subgroup [9,11,25] or as a high proportion of patients [14,[26][27][28].…”

Comparison of liberal and restrictive blood transfusion: current insights into clinical outcomes

“…The definitions of serious infections and health care-associated infections were not clear when comparing data from the included studies. 24 In 7,552 perioperative patients (17 RCTs), Fominskiy et al 26 found that a liberal blood transfusion strategy improved survival in acute anemia. The perioperative settings were hip fracture surgery, cardiac surgery, abdominal cancer surgery, elective hip and knee replacement, spinal fusion with instrumentation, and postpartum hemorrhage.…”