Enhanced recovery after surgery: a narrative review on patient blood management recommendations.

This review aims to analyze and document the presence of patient blood management (PBM) recommendations in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) guidelines. The aim of ERAS programs is to improve outcomes and optimize patient recovery by reducing the stress response to surgery. PBM programs pursue the objective of improving outcomes by boosting and conserving the patient's own blood. From the early development of ERAS, there was little attention paid to the three pillars of perioperative blood management. Preoperative anemia is an important risk factor in perioperative outcomes and should be diagnosed and treated. Bleeding and unnecessary transfusions should be avoided. We analyzed clinical guidelines for scheduled surgery in adults published by the ERAS Society between 2018 and 2022. The guidelines selected were searched for recommendations related to the three pillars of PBM. We selected 15 ERAS guidelines in programmed surgery in adults. Until 2018, none of the ERAS guidelines analyzed included any recommendations related to pillars I and III of PBM. In 2019, recommendations related to the three pillars of PBM were introduced in the ERAS clinical guidelines for colorectal surgery, gynecology/oncology surgery, and lung resection surgery. However, many ERAS guidelines for surgeries with a high risk of bleeding, such as cardiac surgery, contain no clear recommendations on the management of preoperative anemia. This review shows that the ERAS guidelines published to date make very few recommendations related to PBM. The authors emphasize the need to include the most efficient PBM recommendations in ERAS clinical guidelines, given improved outcomes with a good perioperative management of blood transfusion.

Blood component requirements in liver transplantation: effect of 2 thromboelastometry-guided strategies for bolus fibrinogen infusion-the TROMBOFIB randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: A low plasma fibrinogen level influences blood component transfusion. Thromboelastometry provides clinical guidance for fibrinogen replacement in liver transplantation (LT). OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that infusions of fibrinogen concentrate to reach an A10FibTem value of 11 mm during LT could reduce red blood cell (RBC) and other component and fluid requirements in comparison to standard care. METHODS: This randomized, blinded, multicenter trial in 3 hospitals enrolled 189 LT-scheduled patients allocated to an intervention target (A10FibTem, 11 mm) or a standard target (A10FibTem, 8 mm); 176 patients underwent LT with fibrinogen replacement. Data were analyzed by intention-to-treat (intervention group, 91; control group, 85). Blood was extracted, and fibrinogen kits were prepared to bring each patient's fibrinogen level to the assigned target at the start of LT, after portal vein clamping, and after graft reperfusion. The main outcome was the proportion of patients requiring RBC transfusion during LT or within 24 hours. RESULTS: The proportion of patients requiring RBCs did not differ between the groups: intervention, 74.7% (95% CI, 65.5%-83.3%); control, 72.9% (95% CI, 62.2%-82.0%); absolute difference, 1.8% (95% CI, -11.1% to 14.78%) (P = .922). Thrombotic events occurred in 4% of the patients in both groups; reoperation and retransplantation rates and mortality did not differ. Nearly 70% of the patients in both groups required fibrinogen concentrate to reach the target. Using an 11-mm A10FibTem target increased the maximum clot firmness without affecting safety. However, this change provided no clinical benefits. CONCLUSION: The similar low plasma fibrinogen concentrations could explain the lack of significant between-group outcomes.