Hemoglobin Levels for Blood Transfusions During and After Surgery

Launched by OTTAWA HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · Dec 4, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is designed to explore the best way to decide when to give blood transfusions to adult patients during surgery. Specifically, the study will compare two different strategies based on hemoglobin levels, a measure of how much oxygen-carrying protein is in the blood. The main goal is to see if it is possible to conduct a larger study to definitively test which method is better for patients who might need a transfusion during surgery due to significant blood loss.

To be eligible for this trial, participants need to be at least 18 years old and scheduled for surgery where there is a chance they may need a blood transfusion. They should have a preoperative hemoglobin level of less than 130 g/L and may have a hemoglobin level of 100 g/L or less during surgery. If you join the study, you will receive a blood transfusion based on one of the two strategies, and later, you will fill out questionnaires 30 and 90 days after your surgery to help researchers understand the outcomes. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to improve patient care during surgical procedures.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adult patients, age ≥18.
• • Elective or urgent surgery.
• • Risk of red blood cell transfusion of at least 10 percent.
• • Preoperative hemoglobin of less than 130 g/L.
• • Intraoperative hemoglobin of ≤ 100 g/L at any time during surgery.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Active major hemorrhage as indication for surgery (e.g. ruptured aneurysm, polytrauma, etc.).
• • Acute coronary syndrome or myocardial infarction within the past 6 weeks.
• • Cardiac surgery.
• • Liver transplantation.
• • Surgery for moderate to severe (Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score ≤ 12) traumatic brain injury.
• • Pregnancy or obstetrical surgery.
• • Patient refusal of blood products.
• • Inability to provide consent.