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When to give blood

University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, UK

Elizabeth Hunt

University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, UK

Mav Manji

University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, UK

With increased public awareness of the risks of blood transfusion and the decreased availability of blood products, the decision to transfuse a patient should be considered carefully. Most patients require a blood transfusion when haemoglobin levels fall below 8 g=dl or when there is greater than 30% loss of blood volume. However, the main indication for transfusing a patient is to increase their oxygen-carrying capacity and through invasive monitoring provide evidence of inadequate tissue oxygenation. Blood transfusions should be based on the patient’s risks of developing complications of inadequate oxygenation rather than on a single haemoglobin ‘trigger’.

Key Words: blood transfusions • oxygen delivery • transfusion triggers • complications of blood transfusions • blood substitutes

Trauma, Vol. 3, No. 4, 221-233 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/146040860100300405


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