Transfusion requirement prediction score for patients undergoing cardiac surgery: An experience from a tertiary care set-up from South India.

BACKGROUND: Prediction of transfusion requirement is part of preoperative management in a surgical case. We aimed to develop one such tool for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. METHODS: A retrospective study for a period of 3 years was done to develop the scoring tool, Transfusion Requirement Prediction Score for Cardiac Surgery (TRPS), and internal validation was done prospectively. The primary outcome was administration of allogenic red cell units to the patients during perioperative period. The outcome is dichotomized as controls and cases based on the number of Red Blood Cell units received. Independent variables were chosen based on statistical significance and clinical judgement. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to obtain the cut-off for each independent variable, odds ratio, and regression coefficients were used to assign the score. All patients with a cumulative score below the cut-off value were categorised as 'low risk' and above the cut off as 'high risk' group. RESULTS: During the study period, out of 602 patients, 345 met the inclusion criteria (controls: 175; cases: 170). Six variables such as age (more than 58 years), gender (female), bypass time (more than 148 min), haemoglobin (less than 12.5 g/dL), ejection fraction (less than 57%), and history of warfarin prophylaxis were chosen to develop the score. The total score value of 5 was chosen as the cut-off for the two risk groups. It predicted blood utilisation with a strength of 68% sensitivity and 79% specificity. On internal validation, the score was observed to have an accuracy of 70%. CONCLUSION: The TRPS is a simple reliable and handy tool with high accuracy.

Impact of stored red cells on clinical outcome in critically ill.

BACKGROUND: The use and benefit of fresh blood and leuco-reduced blood for critically ill patients has been inconclusive. In this study we have tried to observe the same, in patients admitted to intensive care unit. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Prospective study was done to observe the effect of transfusion in critically ill patients in a tertiary care hospital. Clinical condition in cases and controls was assessed with the help of Simplified Acute Physiology Score II scoring tool. Clinical outcome among patients who received blood was compared using two cutoffs, 14 and 21 days of shelf life to delineate fresh from old blood. Length of hospital stay, length of stay in ICU, number of days on ventilator and number of hospital acquired infections were used as the surrogate markers for morbidity. RESULTS: Of the 558 critically ill patients admitted during the study period, 427 received (cases) while 131 did not receive the transfusion (controls). Mean SAPS II scores of cases and controls were comparable. We observed a significantly higher rate of mortality among patients who received RBC units over 21 days. However morbidity parameters were affected even when the cutoff of 14 days is considered. Buffy-coat reduced blood did not influence the outcome in the study group. CONCLUSION: Critically ill patients may be prioritized for receiving fresher units of packed red cells preferably less than 21 days old. Transfusion is an independent risk factor for morbidity. Hence the risk to benefit ratio should be carefully assessed for every red cell transfusion in critically ill patients.