Injured recipients of low‐titer group O whole blood have similar clinical outcomes compared to recipients of conventional component therapy: A single‐center, retrospective study
Mark H. Yazer, Andrew Freeman, Ian M. Harrold, Vincent P. Anto, Matthew D. Neal, Darrell J. Triulzi, Jason L. Sperry, Jansen N. Seheult
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Low-titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) is being increasingly transfused to injured patients. This study evaluated a range of clinical outcomes to determine if receipt of LTOWB predisposed recipients to worse outcomes compared to recipients of conventional component therapy (CCT). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of trauma patients who received at least 3 units of LTOWB (LTOWB group) versus those that received at least 3 units of RBCs, 1 unit of plasma and 1 unit of platelets but no LTOWB (CCT group) during the first 24 h of their admission was performed. Causal treatment effects were explored using propensity score matching (PSM) and coarsened exact matching (CEM). Important clinical outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 165 CCT and 155 LTOWB recipients eligible for matching. PSM and CEM reduced covariate imbalances between the CCT and LTOWB groups, with the exception that males remained over-represented in the LTOWB group due to the hospital's former resuscitation policy of not administering RhD-positive LTOWB to females <50. In both of the matched analyses, the LTOWB group received a median of 4 LTOWB units. There were no significant differences in 6-, 24-h mortality or 30-day mortality between groups, nor were there differences in the frequency of other clinical outcomes such as acute kidney injury, sepsis, venous/arterial thromboembolism; delta MODS was lower for the LTOWB recipients in the exact match group. CONCLUSION: In both matched analyses, administration of a median of four LTOWB units did not result in a different frequency of major clinical outcomes including mortality.