Blood-sparing techniques prevalence in adult intensive care units: A multicentre survey study

Anaemia is a common condition in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). It is also well known that a significant amount of the carbon dioxide produced by health services is likely attributable to blood donation, testing, and the manufacture, storage, and distribution of blood components. To mitigate this, prevention strategies such as blood-sparing techniques are available. There is a lack of knowledge regarding the use of such techniques in ICUs in Spain and Latin America, healthcare systems with very different health expenditures per capita. The aim is to assess the degree of implementation of blood-sparing techniques in these regions.

Cross-sectional online multicentre survey. 251 ICUs in Spain and 53 in Latin America (20 in Argentina, 20 in Colombia, 13 in Ecuador) participated. A 20-item survey on the use of point-of-care, small-volume tubes (SVT), and closed-blood sampling devices (CBSD) was validated. Effect sizes were calculated using Phi (φ) or Cramer's V (V).

A response rate of 77% was obtained for Spain and 96% for Latin America. In Spain, the majority of ICUs were affiliated with public hospitals (88.1%, 171/194) while in Latin America, most were associated with private hospitals (56.9%, 29/51). Regarding the use of point-of-care testing, 67.5% of Spanish ICUs, compared to 35.3% of Latin Americans, reported frequent use (V=0.343). In 91.7% of Spanish ICUs and 58.9% of Latin Americans, SVTs were rarely or never used (V=0.380). The use of CBSD was significantly lower in Spain for both arterial and central venous catheters (V=0.336). Private hospitals used more CBSD in arterial catheter than public ones (27% vs 8.3%, V=0.278).

Point-of-care testing can be improved in Latin America, while the use of CBSD and small-volume tubes can be enhanced in Spain. Private hospitals tend to implement blood-sparing techniques more effectively than public hospitals.