PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - O'Connor, Karen P.
AU  - Snowberger, Debra
TI  - Single Unit Transfusions in a Community Medical Center
AID  - 10.29074/ascls.28.3.167
DP  - 2015 Jul 01
TA  - American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
PG  - 167--172
VI  - 28
IP  - 3
4099  - http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/28/3/167.short
4100  - http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/28/3/167.full
SO  - Clin Lab Sci2015 Jul 01; 28
AB  - Academic medical centers have implemented comprehensive patient blood management programs to reduce potential adverse transfusion effects. A retrospective study of single unit transfusions was conducted at a 319 bed community medical center to determine single unit transfusion practice patterns. Patient records of 535 single unit recipients were examined for gender, age and change in hemoglobin and hematocrit. Females (mean age 67) accounted for 64 % of recipients, with a mean increase in hemoglobin of 1.3 g/dL. Males (mean age 67) had a mean increase of 0.9 g/dL. An incidental finding was that laboratory assessment of hemoglobin was unavailable for 6% (pre transfusion) and 15% (post transfusion) of recipients. The proportion of single units transfused on a monthly basis ranged from 0.02% to 0.05%. No change toward increased use of single unit transfusion was identified. A formal patient blood management program is recommended as a next step in providing appropriate transfusion therapy.