SvO2 Trigger in Transfusion Strategy After Cardiac Surgery

Plain-language summary

Current international guidelines suggest a restrictive transfusion strategy, setting that Hb level at 7 g/dl is a reasonable threshold. However, the idea of having only one threshold for all the patients has been challenged by authors, suggesting a more liberal strategy for certain cases. At the moment, there is no other parameter considered accurate enough to be taken into consideration for transfusion strategy management. This study is to use ScVO2, a current, easily accessible parameter, before blood transfusion in order to stratify its indication after cardiac surgery. Monocentric, randomised, single blind study (patient not aware of the group assignments) Patient inclusion will be made in ICU if the physician decides to perform blood transfusion according to standard transfusion strategy to treat a postoperative anemia (Hb\<9g/dL). Every patient will go through randomization to be placed in one of the two groups of the study: either the one whose transfusion strategy is adjusted by the pretransfusion ScvO2 (group ScvO2), or the control group. Our main objective is to evaluate the impact of a new transfusion strategy founded on guidelines, but provided ScvO2 is less than 65%, on the incidence of red blood cells transfusion for anemia early after cardiac surgery.

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