Critical Hgb value changed

It's because of the blood shortage. We've gone from transfusing below 9 to transfusing below 8, and 7's coming.

Thanks for the reply. Seriously as soon as I posted this I walked out to the nurses station and found the information about why this happened, lol.

Apparently, our facility says that the trend is going to transfuse at 7 or below because the risk is higher than the benefit above 7. Not surprisingly it also has to do with the fact that medicare and other insurances won't pay for adverse events r/t transfusions that were unnecessary or errors made on the hospitals part.

Our hospital made the same changes and we had to complete a very long in-service related to it. Ours physicians are ignoring it and transfusing anyone under 8.0, though.

Recent studies have been released showing increased mortality with blood transfusions. I know one study in particular related to cardiac surgery patients (my patient population) which is now the guidelines are surgeons follow. None of them transfuse based strictly on the numbers, the patient must be actively bleeding or symptomatic. Our facility has adopted new transfusion guidelines as well

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/549791

Here's one study...you have to sign up for meds ape but registration is free

wow we transfuse for

Give blood almost every day worked, never a reaction though. We transfuse at the number the MD wants, not the blood bank. They do call and ask for a reason why and they are not happy, but they do send the blood. Last week a pt was transfused at a 9.4

In every job I've had, we usually didn't transfuse till 7, and sometimes less than that.

At my hospital we usually don't transfuse unless it's

For our ortho and gen surg pts there is normally a protocal to transfuse during the first couple days post-op if the Hematocrit drops to less than 25.