Due to a high incidence of anemia critically ill patients are frequently transfused with up
to 40% of patients receiving a transfusion during their stay in the Intensive Care Unit. It has
become increasingly clear that there is an association between transfusion and adverse outcomes
underlining the need for a careful assessment of the risks and benefits of a blood transfusion.
In the last decade there have been several large clinical trials that have studied red blood
cell transfusion triggers in various ICU patient populations allowing us to take a
personalized approach to transfusion. Moreover ICU patients often suffer from coagulopathy.
Recent studies have addressed the effectiveness of fresh frozen plasma and platelets to prevent
or treat bleeding. Aiming at a personalized therapy approach in transfusion practice this book
is the first to offer a comprehensive summary of transfusion triggers for red blood cells in
specific ICU patient populations and specific conditions. In addition it discusses evidence
for triggers for plasma and platelets and outlines the most common adverse effects of
transfusion in the ICU. Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit is a practical handbook that can
be used in everyday practice to guide transfusion and thus will serve as a valuable resource
for physicians fellows and residents working in Intensive Care Anesthesiology and Cardiac
Surgery.
