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Blood transfusion activity in a general hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic
Karen Marín-Mori1, Isabel González-Gascón Y Marín1, María-Ángeles Foncillas-García1
1Transfusion Service and Hematology Department, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor, Hospital Virgen de la Torre, Madrid, Spain.
Insights
Blood transfusions significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, even in intensive care units. COVID-19 patients rarely required transfusions, with underlying conditions or bleeding being the primary reasons.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Transfusion Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic impacted hospital operations globally, including transfusion services.
- Limited data exists on transfusion demands in hospitals converted to COVID-19 care centers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze blood transfusion practices during the COVID-19 outbreak in a designated COVID-19 hospital.
- To compare transfusion rates during the pandemic with historical data.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study was conducted at Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor, Madrid, Spain.
- Transfusion data from March 15 to April 14, 2020, was compared to the same period over the prior four years.
Main Results:
- A 49.3% reduction in blood components transfused was observed compared to the previous year.
- The red blood cell (RBC) transfusion/bed ratio in critically ill patients decreased significantly (0.92 vs. 2.70).
- Only 2.7% of COVID-19 patients received transfusions, primarily due to underlying conditions (44%), bleeding (25%), or inflammatory anemia (25%).
Conclusions:
- This study is the first to report a decrease in blood transfusions during the COVID-19 pandemic in a general hospital setting.
- COVID-19 infection itself does not typically lead to anemia requiring transfusion.
- Underlying conditions and bleeding events were the main drivers for transfusion in COVID-19 patients.
Background:
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected almost all hospital departments, including transfusion services. However, the demand for transfusions in a general hospital designated to deal with COVID-19 patients has not been analysed before.
Study Design And Methods:
A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate blood transfusion practices from 15 March to 14 April 2020 at Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor (Madrid, Spain). During this month, with few exceptions, the hospital became a 'COVID-19' centre. In addition, transfusion rates during this time frame and the same period over the last 4 years were compared.
Results:
From 15 March to 14 April 2020, only 254 blood components were transfused, resulting in a 49·3% reduction over the previous year. Interestingly, in critically ill patients, the red blood cell (RBC) transfusion/bed ratio significantly decreased during this period (0·92) compared to the same ratio over the past 4 years (2·70) (P = 0·02). Of note, 106 blood components (95 RBC; 11 platelet concentrates) were transfused to only 36 out of 1348 COVID-19 patients (2·7%). The main reason for RBC transfusion in COVID-19 patients was a previous underlying disease (44%) followed by bleeding (25%) and inflammatory anaemia (25%).
Conclusion:
This is the first study to report a decrease in blood transfusions during the COVID-19 pandemic in a general hospital and especially in the intensive care unit. The results of this study suggest that COVID-19 does not generally induce transfusion requiring anaemia, being the main causes for transfusion in these patients underlying conditions or bleeding.
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