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Clinical Trial
. 2004 May 29;328(7451):1281.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.38103.735266.55. Epub 2004 May 13.

Effects of transfusion with red cells filtered to remove leucocytes: randomised controlled trial in patients undergoing major surgery

Joost A van Hilten  1 , Leo M G van de Watering, J Hajo van Bockel, Cornelis J H van de Velde, Job Kievit, Ronald Brand, Wilbert B van den Hout, Robert H Geelkerken, Rudi M H Roumen, Ronald M J Wesselink, Ankie W M M Koopman-van Gemert, Jan Koning, Anneke Brand
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effects of transfusion with red cells filtered to remove leucocytes: randomised controlled trial in patients undergoing major surgery

Joost A van Hilten et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To compare postoperative complications in patients undergoing major surgery who received non-filtered or filtered red blood cell transfusions.

Design: Prospective, randomised, double blinded trial.

Setting: 19 hospitals throughout the Netherlands (three university; 10 clinical; six general).

Participants: 1051 evaluable patients: 79 patients with ruptured aneurysm, 412 patients undergoing elective surgery for aneurysm, and 560 undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

Interventions: The non-filtered products had the buffy coat removed and were plasma reduced. The filtered products had the buffy coat removed, were plasma reduced, and filtered before storage to remove leucocytes.

Main outcome measures: Mortality and duration of stay in intensive care. Secondary end points were occurrence of multi-organ failure, infections, and length of hospital stay.

Results: No significant differences were found in mortality (odds ratio for filtered v non-filtered 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.53 to 1.21) and in mean stay in intensive care (- 0.4 day, - 1.6 to 0.6 day). In the filtered group the mean length of hospital stay was 2.4 days shorter (- 4.8 to 0.0 day; P = 0.050) and the incidence of multi-organ failure was 30% lower (odds ratio 0.70, 0.49 to 1.00; P = 0.050). There were no differences in rates of infection (0.98, 0.73 to 1.32).

Conclusion: The use of filtered transfusions in some types of major surgery may reduce the length of hospital stay and the incidence of postoperative multi-organ failure.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Trial profile
Fig 2
Fig 2
Intention to treat analysis of primary and secondary end points. Effects on stay in intensive care and in hospital reported as difference in means (95% CI of difference)
Fig 3
Fig 3
Intention to treat analysis of primary and secondary end points. Effects on mortality, multi-organ failure, and infection depicted as odds ratio (filtered/non-filtered) with 95% confidence intervals
Fig 4
Fig 4
Cumulative hospital discharges, calculated by analysis of length of hospital stay in all patients and in those who received transfusion, according to various subgroups
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