Cardiac surgery patients have a risk to need allogeneic blood transfusions that depends on several risk factors, e.g. the type of surgery, concomitant medication with anticoagulants, and postoperative chest tube output. Allogeneic blood transfusion is associated with transfusion reactions, infection transmission, and postoperative morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate, whether cardiac surgery patients have a reduced postoperative chest tube output and transfusion need when using a point-of-care guided transfusion algorithm compared to standard of care transfusion protocols .
Cardiac surgery patients have a risk to need allogeneic blood transfusions that depends on several risk factors, e.g. the type of surgery, concomitant medication with anticoagulants, and postoperative chest tube output. Allogeneic blood transfusion is associated with transfusion reactions, infection transmission, and postoperative morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate, whether cardiac surgery patients have a reduced postoperative chest tube output and transfusion need when using a point-of-care guided transfusion algorithm compared to standard of care transfusion protocols.