Evidence-Based Red Blood Cell Transfusion Practices in Cardiac Surgery

Cardiac surgical patients are among the highest consumers of allogeneic red blood cells (RBCs) due to the prevalence of anemia and bleeding. Up until recently, there was a paucity of high-quality evidence informing transfusion decisions in this patient group which led to wide variability in transfusion decision making. The article reviews and critically analyzes the available evidence for RBC transfusion in cardiac surgery, focusing on trials of transfusion triggers and age of blood, and provides suggestions for future research. Observational studies analyzing outcomes in patients transfused vs those not transfused have consistently shown RBC transfusion to be associated with adverse outcomes. However, multiple sources of bias in these studies invalidate their conclusions. The best available evidence comes from randomized controlled trials which compare liberal vs restrictive transfusion thresholds. To date, 6 randomized controlled trials have been reported in cardiac surgical patients, and pooled analyses have shown no differences in clinical outcomes between the 2 strategies. Similarly, research into age of RBCs and adverse outcomes has failed to demonstrate a pathological effect attributable to the storage lesion; the recent multicenter Red Cell Storage Duration Study (RECESS) trial has demonstrated no difference in outcomes between patients receiving fresh or old RBCs. Future research needs to identify what a safe transfusion threshold may be, and how this differs for different patient groups and different stages of the perioperative journey. There is also a need to evaluate other physiological parameters which, coupled with hemoglobin concentration, can better inform those patients who need an RBC transfusion.