Transfusion . Blood Transfusion Utilization in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

[tetano]

Transfusion


. 2020 Jun 24.
doi: 10.1111/trf.15947. Online ahead of print.
Blood Transfusion Utilization in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients


Christina M Barriteau ^{1 2} , Patricia Bochey ² , Paul F Lindholm ^{1 2} , Karyn Hartman ² , Ricardo Sumugod ² , Glenn Ramsey ^{1 2}



Affiliations

• PMID: 32583506
• DOI: 10.1111/trf.15947

Abstract

Background: The acute respiratory illness designated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and caused a worldwide pandemic. Concerns arose about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood donations and potential significant blood transfusion needs in severely ill COVID-19 patients. Data on blood usage in hospitalized COVID-19 patients is scarce.
Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study of blood component transfusions in the first four weeks of COVID-19-ward admissions. The study period began 14 days before the first COVID-19-cohort wards opened in our hospital in March 2020 and ended 28 days afterward. The number of patients and blood components transfused in the COVID-19 wards was tabulated. Transfusion rates of each blood component were compared in COVID-19 wards versus all other inpatient wards.
Results: COVID-19 wards opened with 7 suspected patients and after 4 weeks had 305 cumulative COVID-19 admissions. Forty-one of 305 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (13.4%) received transfusions with 11.1 % receiving red blood cells, 1.6% platelets, 1.0% plasma and 1.0% cryoprecipitate. COVID-19 wards had significantly lower transfusion rates compared to non-COVID wards for RBCs (0.03 vs 0.08 units/patient-day), platelets (0.003 vs 0.033) and plasma (0.002 vs 0.018) (all p<0.0001). Cryoprecipitate rates were similar (0.008 vs 0.009, p=0.6).
Conclusions: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients required much fewer blood transfusions than other hospitalized patients. COVID-19 transfusion data will inform planning and preparation of blood resource utilization during the pandemic.

Keywords: blood management; transfusion practice (adults).