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Lower hemoglobin transfusion trigger is associated with higher mortality in patients hospitalized with pneumonia.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Mar;97(12):e0192
Authors: Rahimi-Levene N, Koren-Michowitz M, Zeidenstein R, Peer V, Golik A, Ziv-Baran T
Abstract
Patients hospitalized with pneumonia may require packed red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during their hospital stay. Patient survival may be associated with the transfusion trigger. These patients may need a higher hemoglobin (Hb) trigger than that suggested by the AABB guidelines (7 g/dL).The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the initial transfusion Hb trigger and in-hospital mortality.A historical cohort study of all patients hospitalized in an internal medicine ward between 2009 and 2014 with pneumonia, who received at least 1 unit of RBC, was evaluated. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality.One hundred males and 77 females with a median age of 80 (interquartile range 71-87) years were included. The median Hb trigger was 8.10 g/dL. Mortality rate was 56% in patients with Hb trigger ≤7 g/dL, 43.8% in Hb trigger 7 to 8 g/dL, and 29.5% in Hb trigger >8 g/dL (P = .045). Patients in the 3 Hb trigger categories did not differ in age, sex, comorbidities, albumin, creatinine, C-reactive protein, white blood cells, and platelet counts. The result of a multivariate analysis showed that only lower Hb trigger (odds ratio [OR]≤ 7vs.>8 = 5.24, OR7-8vs.>8 = 2.13, P = .035) and higher neutrophil count (P = .012) were associated with increased in-hospital mortality.In conclusion, a lower transfusion trigger is associated with increased risk for in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with pneumonia requiring RBC transfusion.
PMID: 29561440 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]