• Pierre Demaret, Marisa Tucci, Oliver Karam, Helen Trottier, Thierry Ducruet, and Jacques Lacroix.
• 1Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, CHC, Liège, Belgium. 2Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Sainte-Justine Hospital and Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. 3Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland. 4Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Research Center, Sainte-Justine Hospital and Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. 5Department of Pediatrics, Research Center, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2015 Jul 1;16(6):505-14.

ObjectiveTo identify the potential complications associated with RBC transfusions.DesignProspective observational study.SettingPICU in a tertiary children's hospital.PatientsAll children consecutively admitted to our PICU during a 1-year period.InterventionsNone.Measurements And Main ResultsData were abstracted from medical charts prospectively. Outcomes possibly attributable to RBC transfusions were looked for daily. In transfused cases, it was considered that an outcome was associated with a transfusion only if it was observed after the first RBC transfusion. During the 1-year study period, 913 consecutive admissions were documented, 842 of which were included. Among them, 144 (17%) were transfused at least once. When comparing transfused cases with nontransfused cases, the odds ratio for new or progressive multiple organ dysfunction syndrome was 5.14 (95% CI, 3.28-8.06; p < 0.001). This association remained statistically significant in the multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 3.85; 95% CI, 2.38-6.24; p < 0.001). Transfused cases were ventilated longer than nontransfused cases (14.1 ± 32.6 vs 4.3 ± 9.6 d, p < 0.001), even after adjustment in a Cox model. The PICU length of stay was significantly increased for transfused cases (12.4 ± 26.2 vs 4.9 ± 10.2 d, p < 0.001), even after controlling for potential confounders. The paired analysis for comparison of pretransfusion and posttransfusion values showed that the arterial partial pressure in oxygen was significantly reduced within the 6 hours after the first RBC transfusion (mean difference, 25.6 torr, 95% CI, 5.7-45.4; p = 0.029). The paired analysis also showed an increased proportion of renal replacement therapy.ConclusionsRBC transfusions in critically ill children were associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and prolonged PICU stay. The risk of new or progressive multiple organ dysfunction syndrome was also increased in some transfused children. Furthermore, our study questions the ability of stored RBCs to improve oxygenation in critically ill children. Practitioners should take into account these data when prescribing an RBC transfusion to PICU patients.

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