BACKGROUND: Current guidelines discourage prophylactic plasma use in non-bleeding patients. This study assesses global plasma transfusion practices in the intensive care unit (ICU) and their alignment with current guidelines. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a sub-study of an international, prospective, observational cohort. Primary outcomes were in-ICU occurrence rate of plasma transfusion, proportion of plasma events of total blood products events, and number of plasma units per event. Secondary outcomes included transfusion indications, INR/PT, and proportion of events for non-bleeding indications. RESULTS: Of 3643 patients included, 356 patients (10%) experienced 547 plasma transfusion events, accounting for 18% of total transfusion events. A median of 2 (IQR 1, 2) units was given per event excluding massive transfusion protocol (MTP) and 3 (IQR 2, 6) when MTP was activated. MTP accounted for 39 (7%) of events. Indications of non-MTP events included active bleeding (54%), prophylactic (25%), and pre-procedure (12%). Target INR/PT was stated for 43% of transfusion events; pre-transfusion INR/PT or visco-elastic hemostatic assays (VHA) were reported for 73%. Thirty-seven percent of events were administered for non-bleeding indications, 54% with a pre-transfusion INR < 3.0 and 30% with an INR < 1.5. DISCUSSION: Plasma transfusions occurred in 10% of ICU patients. Over a third were given for non-bleeding indications and might have been avoidable. Target INR/PT was not stated in more than half of transfusions, and pre-transfusion INR/PT or VHA was not reported for 27%. Further research and education is needed to optimize guideline implementation and to identify appropriate indications for plasma transfusion.

• Klíčová slova
• ICU, critically ill, intensive care unit, plasma, transfusion, transfusion practices,
• MeSH
• jednotky intenzivní péče * statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• krevní plazma * MeSH
• krvácení terapie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• převod jednotlivých krevních složek * statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• prospektivní studie MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• směrnice pro lékařskou praxi jako téma MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• pozorovací studie MeSH

BACKGROUND: Patients at intensive care units (ICUs) are often transfused to correct increased coagulation parameters (prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastine time) and/or low platelet count. Thromboelastometry using whole blood is considered to be superior to these tests. In clinical praxis, prolonged standard tests are seen but thromboelastometry values are normal. The objective was to compare the blood product consumptions before and after the introduction of thromboelastometry assays into the treatment protocol during small surgical procedures at our mixed ICU. METHODS: We analyzed 1,879 patients treated at our ICU who underwent small interventions. We compared the fresh frozen plasma and platelet consumption before and after the introduction of rotational thromboelastometry into the routine use. The obtained data were compared to relevant research results from the PubMed database, the MeSH index in the Medline database, and Google Scholar using key words 'tromboelastometry', 'fresh frozen plasma' and 'platelets'. RESULTS: Annual fresh frozen plasma and platelet consumptions were significantly decreased following thromboelastometry introduction. The number of patients and procedures did not differ significantly during the periods analyzed. CONCLUSION: Routine thromboelastometry assays can enable significant reduction of blood product consumption in critically ill patients undergoing small surgery without any bleeding complications.

• Klíčová slova
• Fresh frozen plasma and platelet consumption, ROTEM, Rotational thromboelastometry, Small surgical interventions at ICU,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Prolongation of prothrombin time (PT) is often encountered in patients with sepsis. On the other hand, thromboelastometry as a global coagulation test might yield normal results. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether prolonged PT in the presence of normal thromboelastometry parameters is associated with severe bleeding in patients with sepsis undergoing invasive procedures. In patients with sepsis undergoing low-risk bleeding invasive procedures (central venous catheter placement, dialysis catheter insertion, drain insertion, and so on) or high-risk bleeding invasive procedures (surgical tracheostomy, surgical laparotomy, thoracotomy, and so on), coagulation was assessed by thromboelastometry using EXTEM test (test for evaluation of the extrinsic pathway of coagulation, contains activator of extrinsic pathway) and with PT. For period of years 2013 to 2016, we assessed occurrence of severe bleeding during those procedures and 24 hours later in patients with prolonged PT and normal thromboelastometry results. This retrospective study was performed at Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine of Motol University Hospital in Prague. Data from 76 patients with sepsis were analyzed. Median value of international normalized ratio (INR) was 1.59 (min-1.3 and max-2.56), and median value of prothrombin ratio (PR) was 1.5 (min-1.23 and max-2.55) with normal thromboelastometry finding. Despite prolonged INR/PR, no severe bleeding was observed during invasive procedures. Our data show that sepsis may be accompanied by normal thromboelastometry results, despite prolonged values of PT, and invasive procedures were performed without severe bleeding. This approach to coagulation assessment in sepsis may reduce administration of fresh frozen plasma to the patients. The study was registered at Clinical Trials.gov with assigned number NCT02971111.

• Klíčová slova
• EXTEM, invasive procedure, prothrombin time, sepsis, thromboelastometry,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• INR * MeSH
• krvácení při operaci * MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• sepse krev   chirurgie   MeSH
• tromboelastografie * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• klinické zkoušky MeSH