Table 1. Demographics, Stratified by RBC Transfusion Status.
| Variable | Transfusion (n = 894)a | No transfusion (n = 2749)a |
|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 61 (17) | 61 (16) |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 351 (39.3) | 1025 (37.3) |
| Male | 543 (61.7) | 1724 (62.7) |
| Medical history (multiple options possible) | ||
| Solid tumor | 128 (14.3) | 357 (13.0) |
| Chronic kidney failure | 107 (12.0) | 222 (8.1) |
| Acute coronary syndrome | 106 (11.9) | 275 (10.0) |
| Heart failure | 104 (11.6) | 323 (11.7) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 73 (8) | 339 (12.3) |
| Liver failure | 49 (6) | 61 (2) |
| Hematologic malignancy | 32 (4) | 63 (2) |
| Organ transplant | 21 (2) | 33 (1) |
| Benign hematologic disease | 10 (1) | 25 (1) |
| Bone marrow transplant | 3 (<1) | 6 (<1) |
| Otherb | 231 (25.8) | 728 (26.5) |
| Code status | ||
| Do not resuscitate | 40 (5) | 135 (4.9) |
| Do not intubate | 28 (3) | 108 (3.9) |
| Do not transfuse | 7 (<1.0) | 6 (<1.0) |
| APACHE IV scorec | 57 (33-80) | 44 (27-66) |
| EuroSCORE IId | 2.58 (1.26-5.14) | 1.62 (0.88-3.56) |
| Elective admission | 316 (35.3) | 955 (34.7) |
| Referred from | ||
| Operation theater/OR | 441 (49.4) | 1072 (39.0) |
| General ward | 179 (20.0) | 444 (16.2) |
| Emergency department | 195 (21.8) | 950 (34.6) |
| Other hospital | 73 (8) | 240 (8.7) |
| Other (ie, home, other ICU) | 5 (<1) | 42 (2) |
| Referring specialty | ||
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 208 (23.3) | 330 (12.0) |
| Internal medicine | 158 (17.7) | 534 (19.4) |
| Surgery | 114 (12.8) | 326 (11.9) |
| Gastrointestinal surgery | 92 (10) | 223 (8.1) |
| Trauma surgery | 57 (6) | 94 (3) |
| Pulmonology | 48 (5) | 353 (12.8) |
| Orthopedic surgery | 47 (5) | 61 (2) |
| Neurosurgery | 43 (5) | 248 (9.0) |
| Cardiology | 37 (4) | 258 (9.4) |
| Gynecology | 30 (3) | 50 (2) |
| Urology | 24 (3) | 70 (3) |
| Neurology | 21 (2) | 128 (4.7) |
| Other (ie, emergency, ENT) | 15 (2) | 74 (3) |
| Surgery <24 h before ICU admission | 491 (54.9) | 1111 (40.4) |
| Reason for ICU admission | ||
| Postoperative monitoring | 345 (38.7) | 960 (35.0) |
| Shock | 170 (19.1) | 262 (9.6) |
| Respiratory failure | 134 (15.0) | 657 (24.0) |
| Other | 70 (8) | 238 (8.7) |
| Trauma | 63 (7) | 106 (3.9) |
| Metabolic disturbances | 49 (6) | 219 (8.0) |
| Acute brain injury | 32 (4) | 197 (7.2) |
| In- or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest | 29 (3) | 104 (3.8) |
| Shock present | 325 (36.4) | 527 (19.2) |
| Supportive therapies at admission (multiple options possible) | ||
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 500 (55.9) | 1119 (40.7) |
| Kidney replacement therapy | 54 (6) | 77 (3) |
| Other supporte | 49 (6) | 92 (3) |
| Other mechanical cardiac support | 18 (2) | 18 (<1) |
| ECMO | 11 (1) | 4 (<1) |
Abbreviations: APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; ENT, ear, nose, and throat; EuroSCORE, European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation; ICU, intensive care unit; OR, operating room; RBC, red blood cell.
Presented as No. (%) for frequency data, median (IQR, shown first-third quartile borders) for nonparametric, and mean (SD) for parametric numerical variables.
Other included epilepsy, dementia, cerebrovascular ischemia or hemorrhage, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea.
The APACHE IV score is used to reflect the patient’s severity of illness, expressed by a 0-286 range, in which higher severity of illness is reflected by a higher score.
The EURO II score is used to predict mortality in cardiac surgery patients, expressed by a 0-100 percentage of in-hospital mortality.
Other supportive therapies included noninvasive mechanical ventilation methods, kidney replacement therapy, and temporary cardiac pacing.