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A survey of physicians' attitudes to transfusion practice in critically ill patients in the UK
Author(s) -
Boralessa Harsha,
Rao M. P.,
Morgan C.,
Soni N.,
Goldhill D. R.,
Brett S. J.,
Boralessa Hari
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2044.2002.02509_1.x
Subject(s) - medicine , acute respiratory distress , septic shock , critically ill , shock (circulatory) , intensive care medicine , lactic acidosis , emergency medicine , platelet , sepsis , blood transfusion , lung
Summary This study aimed to examine the attitudes of intensivists and haematologists to the use of blood and blood products using a scenario‐based postal questionnaire. One hundred and sixty‐two intensivists and 77 haematologists responded to the survey. In four scenarios, the baseline haemoglobin thresholds for red cell transfusion ranged from 6 to 12 g.dl −1 . There was significant variation between scenarios (p < 0.005). Increasing age, high Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Status II score, surgery, acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock and lactic acidosis significantly (p < 0.005) modified the transfusion threshold. There were greater variations in the baseline threshold for platelet transfusion. The majority of respondents (72.3%) selected a baseline haemoglobin threshold between 9 and 10 g.dl −1 . The thresholds for platelet transfusion were far less consistent.