Clinical Outcomes, Blood Utilization, and Ethical Considerations for Pediatric Patients in a Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric patients requesting bloodless care represent a challenging clinical situation, as parents cannot legally refuse lifesaving or optimal interventions for their children. Here, we report clinical outcomes for the largest series of pediatric inpatients requesting bloodless care and also discuss the ethical considerations. METHODS: We performed a single-institution retrospective cohort study assessing 196 pediatric inpatients (<18 years of age) who requested bloodless care between June 2012 and June 2016. Patient characteristics, transfusion rates, and clinical outcomes were compared between pediatric patients receiving bloodless care and those receiving standard care (including transfusions if considered necessary by the clinical team) (n = 37,271). Families were informed that all available measures would be undertaken to avoid blood transfusions, although we were legally obligated to transfuse blood if the child's life was threatened. The primary outcome was composite morbidity or mortality. Secondary outcomes included percentage of patients transfused, individual morbid events, length of stay, total hospital charges, and total costs. Subgroup analyses were performed after stratification into medical and surgical patients. RESULTS: Of the 196 pediatric patients that requested bloodless care, 6.1% (n = 12) received an allogeneic blood component, compared to 9.1% (n = 3392) for standard care patients ( P = .14). The most common indications for transfusion were perioperative bleeding and anemia of prematurity. None of the transfusions were administered under a court order. Overall, pediatric patients receiving bloodless care exhibited lower rates of composite morbidity compared to patients receiving standard care (2.6% vs 6.2%; P = .035). There were no deaths in the bloodless cohort. Individual morbid events, length of stay, and total hospital charges/costs were not significantly different between the 2 groups. After multivariable analysis, bloodless care was not associated with a significant difference in composite morbidity or mortality (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12-1.11; P = .077). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients receiving bloodless care exhibited similar clinical outcomes compared to patients receiving standard care, although larger studies with adequate power are needed to confirm this finding. There were no mortalities among the pediatric bloodless cohort. Although a subset of our pediatric bloodless patients received an allogeneic transfusion, no patients required a court order. When delivered in a collaborative and patient-centered manner, blood transfusions can be safely limited among pediatric patients.

Blood conservation strategies at United States hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a multi-institutional analysis - International Society of Blood Transfusion survey.

BACKGROUND: Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the transfusion medicine community has experienced unprecedented blood supply shortages since March 2020. As such, numerous changes to everyday practice have occurred with a specific emphasis on blood conservation. We sought to determine the strategies used to mitigate blood shortages and promote blood conservation during the pandemic. METHODS: An anonymous, 37-question survey was developed using Research Electronic Data Capture and distributed via e-mail to transfusion medicine specialists across the US obtained via publicly available databases. RESULTS: Amongst surveyed [41.1% response rate (51/124 institutions)], 98.0% experienced a product shortage, with the greatest number reporting red blood cell (RBC) shortages (92.0%). This led to 35.3% of institutions altering the composition and/or number of blood product suppliers, including a 100% increase in the number of institutions acquiring blood from organizations that connect hospital transfusion services with blood collection centers (e.g., Blood Buy) compared to before March 2020. Prospective triaging of blood products was the most common blood conservation strategy (68.1%), though 35.4% altered their RBC exchange or transfusion program for patients receiving chronic RBC transfusion/exchange. As a result of these changes, 78.6% of institutions reported that these changes resulted in a reduction in blood product usage, and 38.1% reported a decrease in product wastage. CONCLUSIONS: Most hospitals experienced the effects of the supply shortage, and many of them implemented blood conserving measures. Conservation strategies were associated with decreased blood utilization and waste, and future studies could evaluate whether these changes persist.

Decreased transfusion requirements with use of acute normovolemic hemodilution in open aortic aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVE: Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) is an operative blood conservation technique involving the removal and storage of patient blood after the induction of anesthesia, with maintenance of normovolemia by crystalloid and/or colloid replacement. Developed and used predominately in cardiac surgery, ANH has been applied to the vascular surgery population. However, data regarding the effects on transfusion requirements in this population are limited. The objective of the present study was to compare the transfusion requirements and coagulopathy for patients who had undergone open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (oAAAR) using ANH to those for patients who had received only product replacements, as clinically indicated. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients who had undergone elective oAAAR at a quaternary aortic referral center from 2017 to 2019. Those eligible for ANH, with no active cardiac ischemia, no valvular disease, normal left ventricular and right ventricular function, chronic kidney disease stage <3, hematocrit >38%, and a normal coagulation profile were included in the present study. Patient demographics and characteristics and operative variables, including aneurysm extent, clamp site, visceral and renal ischemia time, operative time, and transfusion requirements, were collected. Postoperative morbidity, mortality, and length of stay were analyzed. The patients with and without ANH were matched and compared. Continuous measures were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests and t tests. RESULTS: During the study period, 209 oAAARs had been performed. Of the 209 patients, 76 had met the inclusion criteria. Of these 76 patients, 27 had undergone ANH and 49 had not. The patients with ANH had required fewer PRBC transfusions intraoperatively (median, 0 U; interquartile range [IQR], 0-1 U; median, 1 U; IQR, 0-2 U; P = .02), at 24 hours (median, 0 U; IQR, 0-1 U; vs median, 1 U; IQR, 0-2 U; P = .008), at 48 hours (median, 0 U; IQR, 0-1 U; vs median, 1 U; IQR, 0-2; P = .007), and throughout the admission (median, 0 U; IQR, 0-1 U; vs median, 2 U; IQR, 0-2 U; P = .011). No difference was found in the number of intraoperative platelet or cryoprecipitate transfusions. At 48 hours, the ANH group had had significantly greater platelet counts (142 ± 35.8 × 103/µL vs 124 ± 37.6 × 103/µL; P = .044), lower partial thromboplastin time, and lower international normalized ratio. No difference in myocardial infarction, return to the operating room, or mortality (one death overall). The ANH patients had a shorter length of stay (7.0 ± 2.7 vs 8.8 ± 4.8 days; P = .041). CONCLUSIONS: The use of ANH during oAAAR resulted in fewer intraoperative and postoperative PRBC transfusions with improved coagulation parameters and a shorter hospital length of stay.

Patient blood management and blood conservation - Complimentary concepts and solutions for blood establishments and clinical services in South Africa and beyond.

Blood transfusions come with risks and high costs, and should be utilized only when clinically indicated. Decisions to transfuse are however not always well informed, and lack of clinician knowledge and education on good clinical transfusion practices contribute to the inappropriate use of blood. Low and middle-income countries in particular take much strain in their efforts to address blood safety challenges, demand-supply imbalances, high blood costs as well as high disease burdens, all of which impact blood usage and blood collections. Patient blood management (PBM), which is a patient-focused approach aimed at improving patient outcomes by preemptively diagnosing and correcting anaemia and limiting blood loss by cell salvage, coagulation optimization and other measures, has become a major approach to addressing many of the challenges mentioned. The associated decrease in the use of blood and blood products may be perceived as being in competition with blood conservation measures, which is the more traditional, but primarily product-focused approach. In this article, we hope to convey the message that PBM and blood conservation should not be seen as competing concepts, but rather complimentary strategies with the common goal of improving patient care. This offers opportunity to improve the culture of transfusion practices with relief to blood establishments and clinical services, not only in South Africa and LMICs, but everywhere. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting blood supplies worldwide, this is an ideal time to call for educational interventions and awareness as an active strategy to improve transfusion practices, immediately and beyond.

Blood Conservation and Hemostasis in Cardiac Surgery: A Survey of Practice Variation and Adoption of Evidence-Based Guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Blood conservation and hemostasis are integral parts of reducing avoidable blood transfusions and the associated morbidity and mortality. Despite the publication of blood conservation guidelines for cardiac surgery, evidence suggests persistent variability in practice patterns. Members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) created a survey to audit conformance to existing guidelines and use the results to help narrow the evidence-to-practice gap. METHODS: Members of the SCA and its Continuous Practice Improvement (CPI)- Blood Conservation Work Group developed a 48-item Blood Conservation and Hemostasis in Cardiac Surgery (BCHCS) survey. The questionnaire included the components of the Anesthesia Quality Institute's (AQI) composite measure AQI49. The survey was distributed to the entire SCA membership by e-mail via the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) Consortium between the fall of 2017 and early 2018. RESULTS: Of 3152 SCA members, 536 returned surveys for a response rate of 17%. Most responders worked at academic institutions. The median transfusion trigger after cardiopulmonary bypass was hemoglobin (Hgb) 7.0 to 8.0 g/dL. There are 4 components to AQI49, and the composite conformance to all of them was low due to 1 specific component: the use of transfusion algorithms supplemented with point-of-care (POC) testing. There was good conformance to the other 3 components of AQI49: use of antifibrinolytics, minimization of hemodilution and use of red cell salvage. Overall, practices with a multidisciplinary patient blood management (PBM) team were the most successful in meeting all 4 AQI49 criteria. CONCLUSIONS: The survey demonstrated widespread adoption of several best practices, including the tolerance of lower hemoglobin transfusion triggers, use of antifibrinolytics, minimization of hemodilution, and use of red cell salvage. The survey also confirms that gaps remain in preoperative anemia management and the use of transfusion algorithms supplemented with POC hemostasis testing. Serial use of this survey can be used to identify barriers to implementation and audit the effectiveness of interventions described in this article. This instrument could also help harmonize local, regional, and national efforts and become an essential component of an implementation strategy for PBM in cardiac surgery.

Bloodless surgery and gynecological patients among Jehovahs Witnesses.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research is to present our experiences with the surgical treatment of gynecological patients among Jehovahs Witnesses. Moreover, the medical, moral, and ethical problems in this regard have been highlighted. METHODS: 75 Jehovahs Witnesses patients were operated on for various benign and malignant gynecological diseases between 2007 and 2018. All of these patients were operated on according to the rules of blood-sparing surgery. RESULTS: The operations were assessed according to the dia-gnosis, mode of surgery, estimated blood loss, and disease outcome. Excessive blood loss did not occur during any of these operations, and the estimated blood loss for the same procedure was 10 to 550 mL. CONCLUSION: Jehovahs Witnesses gynecological patients is a group of high-risk patients because they refuse to undergo blood transfusion. Nevertheless, the principles of blood-sparing surgery should be applied to not only Jehovahs Witnesses patients but also to all patients in general. Even if a blood transfusion is the last resort to solve issues pertaining to excessive blood loss during complicated operations, the said procedure always carries certain risks. Therefore, blood transfusion should be performed only on rare occasions. Jehovahs Witnesses patients categorically refuse blood transfusion even if it is the only way to save ones life. Even though the legislation of the Czech Republic deals with this problem, there are other moral and ethical aspects that need to be addressed in this regard.

Triage tool for the rationing of blood for massively bleeding patients during a severe national blood shortage: guidance from the National Blood Transfusion Committee.

The emerging COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed healthcare resources worldwide, and for transfusion services this could potentially result in rapid imbalance between supply and demand due to a severe shortage of blood donors. This may result in insufficient blood components to meet every patient's needs resulting in difficult decisions about which patients with major bleeding do and do not receive active transfusion support. This document, which was prepared on behalf of the National Blood Transfusion Committee in England, provides a framework and triage tool to guide the allocation of blood for patients with massive haemorrhage during severe blood shortage. Its goal is to provide blood transfusions in an ethical, fair, and transparent way to ensure that the greatest number of life years are saved. It is based on an evidence- and ethics-based Canadian framework, and would become operational where demand for blood greatly exceeds supply, and where all measures to manage supply and demand have been exhausted. The guidance complements existing national shortage plans for red cells and platelets.

Strategies to minimize intraoperative blood loss during major surgery.

BACKGROUND: Reducing operative blood loss improves patient outcomes and reduces healthcare costs. The aim of this article was to review current surgical, anaesthetic and haemostatic intraoperative blood conservation strategies. METHODS: This narrative review was based on a literature search of relevant databases up to 31 July 2019 for publications relevant to reducing blood loss in the surgical patient. RESULTS: Interventions can begin early in the preoperative phase through identification of patients at high risk of bleeding. Directly acting anticoagulants can be stopped 48 h before most surgery in the presence of normal renal function. Aspirin can be continued for most procedures. Intraoperative cell salvage is recommended when anticipated blood loss is greater than 500 ml and this can be continued after surgery in certain situations. Tranexamic acid is safe, cheap and effective, and routine administration is recommended when anticipated blood loss is high. However, the optimal dose, timing and route of administration remain unclear. The use of topical agents, tourniquet and drains remains at the discretion of the surgeon. Anaesthetic techniques include correct patient positioning, avoidance of hypothermia and regional anaesthesia. Permissive hypotension may be beneficial in selected patients. Promising haemostatic strategies include use of pharmacological agents such as desmopressin, prothrombin complex concentrate and fibrinogen concentrate, and use of viscoelastic haemostatic assays. CONCLUSION: Reducing perioperative blood loss requires a multimodal and multidisciplinary approach. Although high-quality evidence exists in certain areas, the overall evidence base for reducing intraoperative blood loss remains limited.

ANTECEDENTES: La reducción de la pérdida hemática operatoria mejora los resultados y reduce los costes sanitarios. El objetivo de este artículo es revisar las estrategias actuales intraoperatorias quirúrgicas, anestésicas y hemostáticas de ahorro de sangre. MÉTODOS: Revisión descriptiva basada en publicaciones destacadas que analizaban la forma de reducir la pérdida de sangre en el paciente quirúrgico, seleccionadas a partir de una búsqueda bibliográfica en bases de datos relevantes hasta el 31 de julio de 2019. RESULTADOS: Las intervenciones se pueden iniciar precozmente en el período preoperatorio a través de la identificación de pacientes con elevado riesgo de hemorragia. Se pueden suspender los anticoagulantes de acción directa 48 horas antes de la mayoría de las operaciones quirúrgicas si la función renal es normal. Se puede continuar la administración de aspirina en la mayoría de las intervenciones. En el período intraoperatorio, se recomienda el uso de rescate celular cuando la pérdida de sangre prevista es superior a 500 ml y este método se puede continuar después de la operación en determinadas situaciones. La administración de ácido tranexámico es segura, barata y eficaz y se recomienda de forma rutinaria cuando la pérdida hemática prevista es alta. Sin embargo, la dosis óptima, el momento y la vía de administración no están bien establecidos. El uso de agentes tópicos, torniquetes y drenajes queda a discreción del cirujano. Las técnicas anestésicas incluyen la correcta posición del paciente, así como evitar la hipotermia y la anestesia regional. La hipotensión controlada puede ser beneficiosa en casos seleccionados. Las estrategias hemostáticas innovadoras incluyen agentes farmacológicos como la desmopresina, los concentrados del complejo de protrombina y concentrados de fibrinógeno, y el uso de hemostáticos viscoelásticos, pero se requiere disponer de evidencia sobre su beneficio. CONCLUSIÓN: La reducción de la pérdida hemática perioperatoria requiere un enfoque multimodal y multidisciplinario. Aunque existe evidencia de alta calidad en ciertas áreas, la evidencia general para reducir la pérdida hemática intraoperatoria sigue siendo limitada.

Pancreatic resections in patients who refuse blood transfusions. The application of a perioperative protocol for a true bloodless surgery.

BACKGROUND: The refusal of blood transfusions compels surgeons to face ethical and clinical issues. A single-institution experience with a dedicated perioperative blood management protocol was reviewed to assess feasibility and short-term outcomes of true bloodless pancreatic surgery. METHODS: The institutional database was reviewed to identify patients who refused transfusion and were scheduled for elective pancreatic surgery from 2010 through 2018. A protocol to optimize the hemoglobin values by administration of drugs stimulating erythropoiesis was systematically used. RESULTS: Perioperative outcomes of 32 Jehovah's Witnesses patients were included. Median age was 67 years (range, 31-77). Nineteen (59.4%) patients were treated with preoperative erythropoietin. Twenty-four (75%) patients underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy, 4 (12.5%) distal pancreatectomy (DP) with splenectomy, 3 (9.4%) spleen-preserving DP, and 1 (3.1%) total pancreatectomy. Median estimated blood loss and surgical duration were 400 mL (range, 100-1000) and 470 min (range, 290-595), respectively. Median preoperative hemoglobin was 13.9 g/dL (range, 11.7-15.8) while median postoperative nadir hemoglobin was 10.5 g/dL (range, 7.1-14.1). The most common histological diagnosis (n = 15, 46.9%) was pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Clavien-Dindo grade I-II complications occurred in fourteen (43.8%) patients while one (3.1%) patient had a Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa complication wich was an abdominal collection that required percutaneous drainage. Six (18.8%) patients presented biochemical leak or postoperative pancreatic fistula grade B. Median hospital stay was 16 days (range, 8-54) with no patient requiring transfusion or re-operation and no 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary approach and specific perioperative management allowed performing pancreatic resections in patients who refused transfusion with good short-term outcomes.

Cardiopulmonary Bypass Strategy to Facilitate Transfusion-Free Congenital Heart Surgery in Neonates and Infants.

Priming the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit without the addition of homologous blood constitutes the basis of blood-saving strategies in open-heart surgery. For low-weight patients, in particular neonates and infants, this implies avoidance of excessive hemodilution during extracorporeal circulation. The circuit has to be miniaturized and tubing must be cut as short as possible to reduce the priming volume to prevent unacceptable hemodilution with initiating CPB. During perfusion, measures should be taken to prevent blood loss from the primary circuit to avoid replacement by additional volume. Favorable factors such as mild hypothermia/normothermia and high heparin concentrations during extracorporeal circulation promote earlier hemostasis after coming off bypass.Lower mortality score, first chest entry, higher hemoglobin concentration before going on bypass, and shorter CPB duration support transfusion-free CPB procedure. Reduced postoperative morbidity and mortality were observed when CPB was performed without blood transfusion. In our experience, this can be achieved in at least 70% of CPBs, even in low-weight patients.Bloodless CPB circuit priming should become a widespread reality, even in neonates and young infants, in any open-heart procedure.

Asanguineous Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Infants: Impact on Postoperative Mortality and Morbidity.

BACKGROUND: We routinely start cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for pediatric congenital heart surgery without homologous blood, due to circuit miniaturization, and blood-saving measures. Blood transfusion is applied if hemoglobin concentration falls under 8 g/dL, or it is postponed to after coming off bypass or after operation. How this strategy impacts on postoperative mortality and morbidity, in infants weighing ≤ 7 kg? METHODS: Six-hundred fifteen open-heart procedures performed from January 2014 to June 2018 were selected. One-hundred sixty-three patients (26.5%) were transfused on CPB (group 1), while 452 (73.5%) patients were not transfused on CPB (group 2). Operative risk and complexity were similar in both groups. Postoperative mortality and morbidity were compared. Multiple logistic regression was used to detect factors independently associated with outcome. RESULTS: Observed mortality in nontransfused group (0.7% = 3/452) was significantly lower than expected (4.2% = 19/452): p = 0.0007, and much lower than in transfused group (6.7% = 11/163): p < 0.0001. CPB transfusion (p = 0.001) was independently associated with mortality, either acting as the sole factor or in combination with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons morbidity score (p = 0.013). Patients not transfused during CPB required less frequently vasoactive inotropic drugs (p = 0.011) and duration of their mechanical ventilation was shorter (93 ± 134 hours) than for transfused patients (142 ± 170 hours): p = 0.0003. CPB transfusion was an independent determinant factor for morbidity (p = 0.05), together with body weight (p < 0.0001), vasoactive inotropic score (p < 0.0001), CPB duration (p = 0.001), and postoperative transfusion (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The strategy of transfusion-free CPB course, feasible in most patients ≤ 7kg, was associated with improved outcome. Asanguineous priming of CPB circuit should become standard, even in neonates and infants.

Bloodless Arterial Switch Operation in a 2.7-kg Jehovah's Witness Patient.

Bloodless pediatric cardiac surgery requiring the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) remains a challenge for the entire operating room (OR) team. The amount of circulating blood volume to pump prime volume mismatch of small patients results in hemodilution that frequently results in transfusion of allogeneic blood products. Patients of families of the Jehovah's Witness (JW) faith reject the use of these products because of religious beliefs. Our institution is a referral center for children of JW families because we have developed techniques to minimize blood loss with the hope of performing bloodless pediatric cardiac surgery whenever possible. These techniques include preoperative treatment with erythropoietin, intraoperative acute normovolemic hemodilution, CPB circuit miniaturization, ultrafiltration during and after CPB, limiting blood gas analyses or other unnecessary blood draws, and using hemostatic agents during and after CPB. We present the case of a 4-day-old patient of the JW faith weighing 2.7 kg with transposition of the great arteries and an intact ventricular septum who underwent an arterial switch operation. The patient received no allogeneic blood product administration throughout the entire hospitalization. The patient's first hematocrit in the OR was 43%, lowest hematocrit on bypass was 15%, and first hematocrit in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit post-procedure was 21%. The patient was discharged on post-op day nine with a hematocrit of 36%.

Long-term survival and quality of life in Jehovah's witnesses after cardiac surgery: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: We previously analyzed morbidity and mortality in Jehovah's Witnesses patients after cardiac surgery compared to control population patients. Patients who were Jehovah's Witnesses were operated in accordance with their philosophical convictions and in respect of their refusal of transfusions. We propose to assess long-term survival and quality of life in the patients of this preliminary study. METHODS: We contacted 31 adult Jehovah's Witnesses patients who underwent heart surgery at the Brugmann hospital between 1991 and 2012 and compared them to a control population of 62 patients that had no transfusion restriction, and matched them for sex, age at the time of intervention and the type of surgery performed. We compared long-term quality of life in both populations through the MacNew software, a validated instrument to assess quality of life of patients with cardiovascular disease. The long-term survival of patients was analyzed by Kaplan Meier curves. RESULTS: Long-term quality of life and survival do not appear different between the two groups. Patient evaluation by MacNew software shows comparable physical (p = 0.54), emotional (p = 0.12), social (p = 0.21) and global (p = 0.25) scores between the two populations. The analysis of the actuarial survival curves shows no differences in terms of long-term survival of these patients (p = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac surgery in Jehovah's Witnesses can be performed with identical long-term quality of life and survival compared to surgery without blood transfusion restriction, if one follows rigorous blood conserving strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03348072 . Retrospectively registered 16 November 2017.

Proceedings From the Society for Advancement of Blood Management Annual Meeting 2017: Management Dilemmas of the Surgical Patient-When Blood Is Not an Option.

Vigilance is essential in the perioperative period. When blood is not an option for the patient, especially in a procedure/surgery that normally holds a risk for blood transfusion, complexity is added to the management. Current technology and knowledge has made avoidance of blood transfusion a realistic option but it does require a concerted patient-centered effort from the perioperative team. In this article, we provide suggestions for a successful, safe, and bloodless journey for patients. The approaches include preoperative optimization as well as intraoperative and postoperative techniques to reduce blood loss, and also introduces current innovative substitutes for transfusions. This article also assists in considering and maneuvering through the legal and ethical systems to respect patients' beliefs and ensuring their safety.

Recent achievements and future developments in neonatal cardiopulmonary bypass.

A primary goal of improving neonatal cardiopulmonary bypass has been making the circuit smaller and reduce the blood contacting surfaces. As bypass circuit size has decreased, bloodless surgery has become possible even in neonates. Since transfusion guidelines are difficult to construct based on existing literature, these technical advances should be taken advantage of in conjunction with an individualized transfusion scheme, based on monitoring of oxygen availability to the tissues. For the majority of neonatal heart operations, several centers have shifted toward normothermic bypass even for complex neonatal surgeries, in order to avoid the adverse effects of hypothermia. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is no longer a necessity but an option, and selective antegrade cerebral perfusion has become common practice; however, technical uncertainties with regard to this technique have to be addressed, based on reliable neurologic monitoring. Maintenance of patient-specific heparin concentrations during bypass is another key goal, since neonates have lower baseline antithrombin concentrations and, therefore, a higher risk for inadequate thrombin inhibition and postoperative bleeding. Due to the immaturity of their hemostatic system, the standard coagulation tests alone are inappropriate to guide hemostatic therapy in neonates. The use of indirect heparin concentration assays and global viscoelastic assays in the operating room is likely to represent the optimal strategy, and requires validation in neonates. Monitoring of global and regional indexes of oxygen availability and consumption on bypass have become possible; however, their use in neonates still has outstanding technical issues which should be addressed and hence needs further validation. Due to the immaturity of the neonatal myocardium, single-shot cold cardioplegia solutions are thought to confer the best myocardial protection; their superiority when compared to more conventional modalities, however, remains to be demonstrated.

Blood Conservation: Exploring Alternatives to Blood Transfusions.

The conservation of blood products and the use of alternatives to blood transfusion are the best practice. Patients treated with blood conservation techniques will have a reduced risk of blood-borne diseases and a reduced risk of human error that can occur during blood processing. The bedside nurse plays a vital role in educating the patient and the caregiver regarding risks, benefits, and alternatives. A combination of techniques explored focuses on minimizing blood loss, building the patient's own blood supply, or both. Medications, herbs, and supplements can increase bleeding and place the patient at risk for a transfusion. Evidence from a variety of sources indicates that postoperative patients who receive a blood transfusion will have a harder time with wound healing and overall recovery. Allogeneic blood transfusions can induce clinically significant immunosuppression, as well as other effects in recipients, to include a re-occurrence of cancer. For the Jehovah's Witnesses patient, receiving blood transfusions against their conscience is equal to rape. Therefore, appropriate management entails an understanding of ethical and legal issues involved. Providing meticulous medical care, such as essential interventions and techniques to reduce blood loss, can minimize the risk of subsequent need for blood transfusions and decrease the financial burden to the health care system and its consumers.

Implementation of a Blood Conservation Initiative to Effectively Reduce Blood Transfusions in Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Perioperative and postoperative blood transfusions in cardiac surgery patients are associated with as much as a 16% increased risk of mortality and a significantly increased risk in morbid outcomes. At the project site, red blood cell transfusions in cardiac surgery patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft were above national benchmarks. The aim of the project was to reduce blood transfusions in cardiac surgery patients by 10% over 8 weeks. Primary interventions included engagement for the team and use of a shared decision-making tool for patients. Use of the Any RBC Transfusion online risk calculator was implemented with initiation of anemia protocol orders, chart identification, and blood conservation coordinator referral. There was no decrease in the blood transfusion rate during project implementation. However, this project heightened blood conservation awareness among team members and clinical leaders, brought attention to the need for evidence-based practice, and stimulated conversation about change.

[Mortality after high-risk surgery in Jehovah's Witness patients]. / Letalität nach operativen Risikoeingriffen bei Zeugen Jehovas.

BACKGROUND: Jehovah's Witness (JW) patients strictly refuse allogeneic blood transfusion for religious reasons. Nevertheless, JW also wish to benefit from modern therapeutic concepts including major surgical procedures without facing an excessive risk of death. The Northwest Hospital in Frankfurt am Main Germany is a confidential clinic of JW and performs approximately 100 surgical interventions per year on this patient group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of closed medical cases performed in the years 2008-2018 at the Northwest Hospital aimed to clarify (1) the frequency of surgical procedures in JW patients associated with a statistical allogeneic transfusion risk (presence of preoperative anemia and/or in-house transfusion probability >10%) during this time period, (2) the degree of acceptance of strategies avoiding blood transfusion by JW and (3) the anemia-related postoperative mortality rate in JW patients. RESULTS: In the 11- year observation period 123 surgical procedures with a relevant allogeneic transfusion risk were performed in 105 JW patients. Anemia according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria was present in 44% of cases on the day of surgery. Synthetic and recombinant drugs (tranexamic acid, desmopressin, erythropoetin, rFVIIa) were generally accepted, acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) in 92% and cell salvage in 96%. Coagulation factor concentrates extracted from human plasma and therefore generally refused by JW so far, were accepted by 83% of patients following detailed elucidation. Out of 105 JW patients 7 (6.6%) died during the postoperative hospital stay. In 4 of the 7 fatal cases the cause of death could be traced back to severe postoperative anemia. CONCLUSION: Given optimal management JW patients can undergo major surgery without an excessive risk of death. The 6.6% in-hospital mortality observed in this institution was in the range of the 4% generally observed after surgery in Europe. The majority of JW patients accepted a variety of blood conservation strategies following appropriate elucidation. This also included coagulation factor concentrates extracted from human plasma enabling an effective treatment of even severe bleeding complications. In this analysis postoperative hemoglobin concentrations below 6 g/dl in older JW patients were associated with a high mortality risk due to anemia.

Blood utilization in revision versus first-time cardiac surgery: an update in the era of patient blood management.

BACKGROUND: Relative to first-time (primary) cardiac surgery, revision cardiac surgery is associated with increased transfusion requirements, but studies comparing these cohorts were performed before patient blood management (PBM) and blood conservation measures were commonplace. The current study was performed as an update to determine if this finding is still evident in the PBM era. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Primary and revision cardiac surgery cases were compared in a retrospective database analysis at a single tertiary care referral center. Two groups of patients were assessed: 1) those having isolated coronary artery bypass (CAB) or valve surgery and 2) all other cardiac surgeries. Intraoperative and whole hospital transfusion requirements were assessed for the four major blood components. RESULTS: Compared to the primary cardiac surgery patients, the revision surgery patients required approximately twofold more transfused units intraoperatively (p < 0.0001) and approximately two- to threefold more transfused units for the whole hospital stay (p < 0.0001). Intraoperative massive transfusion (>10 red blood cell [RBC] units) was substantially more frequent with revision versus primary cardiac surgery (2.6% vs. 0.1% [p < 0.0001] for isolated CAB or valve and 6.1% vs. 1.9% [p < 0.0001] for all other cardiac surgeries). Revision surgery was an independent risk factor for both moderate (6-10 RBC units) and massive intraoperative transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: In the era of PBM, with restrictive transfusion strategies and a variety of methods for blood conservation, revision cardiac surgery patients continue to have substantially greater transfusion requirements relative to primary cardiac surgery patients. This difference in transfusion requirement was greater than what has been previously reported in the pre-PBM era.