Abstract
Anaemia is extremely common in the critically ill and up to 50% of all patients admitted to critical care will receive a blood transfusion. No blood transfusion can be completely safe and there have been persistent concerns raised about possible increased mortality and morbidity associated with blood transfusion. These concerns prompted a number of studies examining restrictive transfusion practice. More recently, new devices have been developed to minimise blood loss associated with phlebotomy. This chapter will review the literature as regards specifically restrictive transfusion strategies. The later part will focus on therapeutic interventions, which can reduce the amount of blood lost to routine sampling. When a restrictive transfusion strategy is combined with the use of blood conservation devices, there is a trend towards a reduction in transfusion requirements. There is the potential to significantly reduce iatrogenic anaemia and consequently reduce the potential risk of any adverse consequences of transfusion.
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Retter, A., Wyncoll, D. (2015). Blood-Sparing Strategies in the Intensive Care Unit. In: Juffermans, N., Walsh, T. (eds) Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08735-1_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08735-1_10
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