Table 3.
Patient characteristics by timing of transfusion relative to PICU admission
| Timing of first transfusion | <0 h^ | 0 to <24 h@ | 24–48 h$ | >48 h& | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at admission (months) | 128 ± 74 | 91 ± 80 | 86 ± 87 | 80 ± 81 | 0.001* |
| Gender (females) | 40 (56 %) | 116 (48 %) | 28 (37 %) | 57 (40 %) | 0.065 |
| Indications for PRBC | |||||
| Active blood loss | 5 (7 %) | 81 (34 %) | 29 (38 %) | 32 (22 %) | <0.001 |
| Hemodynamic instability | 3 (4 %) | 63 (26 %) | 15 (20 %) | 35 (24 %) | 0.001 |
| Hypoxia | 0 (0 %) | 9 (4 %) | 3 (4 %) | 11 (8 %) | 0.053 |
| Anemia | 1 (1 %) | 71 (30 %) | 16 (21 %) | 49 (34 %) | <0.001 |
| Unspecifieda | 62 (87 %) | 1 (0.4 %) | 5 (7 %) | 2 (1 %) | <0.001 |
| Reason for PICU admission | |||||
| Cardiovascular | 3 (4 %) | 30 (13 %) | 14 (18 %) | 22 (15 %) | 0.056 |
| Post-operative | 40 (56 %) | 35 (15 %) | 10 (13 %) | 16 (11 %) | <0.001 |
| Respiratory | 1 (1 %) | 39 (16 %) | 18 (24 %) | 37 (26 %) | <0.001 |
| Trauma | 24 (34 %) | 44 (18 %) | 16 (21 %) | 21 (15 %) | 0.009 |
| Oncologic | 0 (0 %) | 21 (9 %) | 1 (1 %) | 5 (4 %) | 0.003 |
| Severity scores | |||||
| PRISM III score | 3.7 ± 5.2 | 9.2 ± 10.3 | 8.0 ± 7.9 | 7.4 ± 8.1 | <0.001* |
| PIM2 score | −5.1 ± 1.6 | −4.0 ± 1.9 | −3.8 ± 1.8 | −4.0 ± 1.7 | <0.001* |
| Day 1 PELOD | 9.2 ± 7.2 | 14.2 ± 12 | 13.1 ± 11.9 | 12.6 ± 10.2 | 0.006* |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 9.1 ± 2.0 | 7.5 ± 2.1 | 8.2 ± 3.3 | 7.9 ± 1.4 | <0.001** |
| Transfused amount (mL/kg) | 12.4 ± 6.6 | 13.3 ± 7.3 | 13.1 ± 5.8 | 13.5 ± 5.5 | 0.679 |
| Mortality | 1/71 (1 %) | 21/240 (9 %) | 13/76 (17 %) | 13/142 (9 %) | 0.012 |
| 30-day mortality | 1/71 (1 %) | 21/240 (9 %) | 12/76 (16 %) | 10/142 (7 %) | 0.016 |
PRBC packed red blood cells; PICU pediatric intensive care unit
^ n = 71 with the following exception: n = 49 for pre-transfusion Hb
@ n = 240 with the following exceptions: n = 239 for age at admission, PIM2, pre-transfusion Hb, and transfused amount; n = 238 for PRISM III
$ n = 76 with the following exceptions: n = 74 for PRISM III and PIM2
&n = 143 with the following exceptions: n = 140 for age at admission, PRISM III, and PIM2; n = 142 for day 1 PELOD and transfused amount; n = 139 for pre-transfusion hb
*<0 h group significantly different from all other groups, p < 0.01 (all other groups not significantly different from one another, p > 0.05)
**<0 h group significantly different from 0–<24 h group and >48 h group, p < 0.03
aPatients that had no reason identified for transfusion