Clinical Practice Guidelines From the AABB: Red Blood Cell Transfusion Thresholds and Storage

"IMPORTANCE: More than 100 million units of blood are collected worldwide each year, yet the indication for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and the optimal length of RBC storage prior to transfusion are uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To provide recommendations for the target hemoglobin level for RBC transfusion among hospitalized adult patients who are hemodynamically stable and the length of time RBCs should be stored prior to transfusion. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Reference librarians conducted a literature search for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating hemoglobin thresholds for RBC transfusion (1950-May 2016) and RBC storage duration (1948-May 2016) without language restrictions. The results were summarized using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation method. For RBC transfusion thresholds, 31 RCTs included 12 587 participants and compared restrictive thresholds (transfusion not indicated until the hemoglobin level is 7-8 g/dL) with liberal thresholds (transfusion not indicated until the hemoglobin level is 9-10 g/dL). The summary estimates across trials demonstrated that restrictive RBC transfusion thresholds were not associated with higher rates of adverse clinical outcomes, including 30-day mortality, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, rebleeding, pneumonia, or thromboembolism. For RBC storage duration, 13 RCTs included 5515 participants randomly allocated to receive fresher blood or standard-issue blood. These RCTs demonstrated that fresher blood did not improve clinical outcomes. FINDINGS: It is good practice to consider the hemoglobin level, the overall clinical context, patient preferences, and alternative therapies when making transfusion decisions regarding an individual patient. Recommendation 1: a restrictive RBC transfusion threshold in which the transfusion is not indicated until the hemoglobin level is 7 g/dL is recommended for hospitalized adult patients who are hemodynamically stable, including critically ill patients, rather than when the hemoglobin level is 10 g/dL (strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence). A restrictive RBC transfusion threshold of 8 g/dL is recommended for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgery, and those with preexisting cardiovascular disease (strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence). The restrictive transfusion threshold of 7 g/dL is likely comparable with 8 g/dL, but RCT evidence is not available for all patient categories. These recommendations do not apply to patients with acute coronary syndrome, severe thrombocytopenia (patients treated for hematological or oncological reasons who are at risk of bleeding), and chronic transfusion-dependent anemia (not recommended due to insufficient evidence). Recommendation 2: patients, including neonates, should receive RBC units selected at any point within their licensed dating period (standard issue) rather than limiting patients to transfusion of only fresh (storage length: <10 days) RBC units (strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Research in RBC transfusion medicine has significantly advanced the science in recent years and provides high-quality evidence to inform guidelines. A restrictive transfusion threshold is safe in most clinical settings and the current blood banking practices of using standard-issue blood should be continued."

Low rates of recognition of sleep disorders in primary care: comparison of a community-based versus clinical academic setting.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and recognition of sleep disorders in a community-based outpatient health setting compared to a university-based clinic in the same geographical location.Background: Sleep disorders are highly prevalent, affecting up to 70 million Americans to varying degrees. Despite increased risk for sleep disorders among minority or medically-indigent individuals, little attention has been paid to the sleep-related needs of these populations.Methods: Two main data collection strategies were employed: (1) intensive database search for sleep-related diagnoses using ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes; (2) review of symptom checklists from patient charts. If database search revealed a positive sleep diagnosis, patient's chart was further queried for clinical assessment and outcome.Results: The overall prevalence rate of sleep-related disorders in the community-based sample was 0.1%. According to chart review, younger patients and those of Hispanic origin were less likely to report sleep complaints or to have these diagnoses recorded by a physician. The overall prevalence rate of sleep diagnoses in the university-based sample was 3.1%. Age and gender were not significant predictors overall in this population, although sleep diagnoses varied significantly by gender.Conclusions: A low rate of recognition and diagnosis of sleep disorders was observed in both settings. Overall, these findings strongly emphasize the need for increased education and training in sleep disorders, particularly in community-based outpatient settings.