Home | Academic research | Implementation of a transfusion bundle reduces inappropriate red blood cell transfusions in intensive care – a before and after study

Implementation of a transfusion bundle reduces inappropriate red blood cell transfusions in intensive care – a before and after study

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Gil Ben-Horin
Published: Dec 16, 2016

A study performed at Academic Medical Center in the Netherlands investigated the effect of the application of a transfusion bundle on transfusion practice, hypothesising that the implementation of the transfusion bundle would lead to a reduction of inappropriate red blood cell transfusions. The authors quantified the true effect of the transfusion bundle by assessing, per transfusion, whether the decision to transfuse was based on a lower pre-transfusion haemoglobin level than the patients’ individual preset haemoglobin threshold. Data about appropriate transfusions were collected at baseline (4 months), during the implementation period (4 months) and during the post-implementation period (4 months) using MetaVision. The authors found that using the transfusion bundle helps to improve compliance with transfusion guidelines in daily practice and suggest that future research should focus on implementing a transfusion bundle for other types of blood products, such as fresh frozen plasma or platelets, and on the cost effectiveness of implementing the transfusion bundle.

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