Impact of Patient Blood Management on Red Blood Cell Utilization in an Urban Community Teaching Hospital: A Seven-Year Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to showcase how implementing a patient blood management (PBM) program effectively cuts unnecessary red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in a New York City urban community teaching hospital. METHODS: Analyzing seven years from 2013 to 2019, a retrospective review of RBC transfusions was conducted. RESULTS: Following the introduction of PBM, considerable improvements were observed annually. These included a drop in mean pretransfusion hemoglobin levels from 7.26 g/dL (2013) to 6.58 g/dL (2019), a 34% reduction in yearly RBC unit transfusions, and fewer units given to patients with pre-Hgb levels ≥ 7 g/dL (from 1210 units in 2013 to 310 units in 2019). Furthermore, this study noted a decline in two-unit RBC orders when Hgb levels were ≥ 7 g/dL from 65 orders in 2013 to merely 3 in 2019. The estimated total cost savings attributed to the six-year PBM program duration after full implementation in 2014 amounted to USD 2.1 million. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, PBM implementation significantly decreased RBC transfusions and enhanced transfusion practices. The findings emphasize that successful PBM strategies do not always necessitate extensive resources or increased budgets but instead rely on the application of intuitive methods, as evidenced by this study.

Cachexia and Invisible Stomach on Endoscopy: An Endoscopist's Enigma and a Surgeon's Axiom.

Gastroduodenal intussusception (GDI) is a very rare clinical entity in adults. GDI can present acutely or chronically in adults with varying spectrum of symptoms and signs. GDI can present acutely with abdominal pain, vomiting and palpable mass. In rare instances it can lead to anemia and cachexia. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen can demonstrate GDI in majority of cases. However, endoscopy findings could lead to identifying etiological factor and tissue diagnosis. In majority of the cases endoscopy may show mucosal or submucosal lesion leading to GDI. We bring forward a case of GDI wherein patient presented with cachexia, intermittent vomiting along with anemia. Further workup including imaging has resulted in the rare diagnosis of GDI. Interestingly we encountered a rare of its kind, endoscopic presentation where there was total absence of stomach due to its complete invagination through the pylorus into the duodenum arising from a giant gastric hyperplastic polyp. We have successfully managed this patient with surgical intervention leading to positive clinical outcomes. On review of literature, we found that it is extremely rare to have a completely absent stomach on endoscopy in a patient with no previous surgical intervention. We would like to share our experience so that endoscopists are aware of such uncommon and interesting presentations. To the best of our knowledge, such a case has not been reported so far in literature.