Simple Summary – Transfusion Volume for Children with Severe Anemia in Africa
Link to the article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1900100?query=featured_home
Similar to the last article, it’s been known that the WHO has specific transfusion guidelines which parts of Africa follows. In patients with severe anemia, red blood cells are transfused at a flat rate of 20 ml per kilogram of body weight. Although this transfusion rate is not in line with guidelines in other countries. They compared two groups of children where one group was transfused 20 ml per kilogram of body weight and another group was transfused 30 ml per kilogram of body weight. The primary outcome concentrated on was 28 day mortality. The study involved a great deal of patients; >3,000 were eligible. Looking at overall mortality, they found that there were no differences between the two groups and so 30 ml/kg transfusion does not improve mortality.
