Assessment of blood transfusion use during hospital treatment of COVID-19 patients – a single center experience

Abstract

Introduction/Objective There is very limited data regarding the need for transfusion and its effect on the overall mortality of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of our study is to determine the need for blood component transfusion in patents treated for COVID-19 infection. Methods This retrospective observational study included 4426 COVID-19-positive patients treated at the Bežanijska Kosa University Hospital Medical Center between June 23, 2020 and May 2, 2021. Of these patients, 826 were treated in the intensive care units of the hospital. Of the total number of patients, 326 (7.4%) received transfusions. The clinical presentation, the structure of the applied transfusion therapy, the laboratory parameters, and the treatment outcome were analyzed in this study. Results Of the 828 patients treated in the intensive care units, 151 (18.2%) patients required transfusion, while transfusion was necessary in a total of 4.9% of patients treated in the hospital wards. Of the total number of all transfused patients, 86% received erythrocytes, one-third of them received fresh frozen plasma, 10% received cryoprecipitate, while platelets were administered in around 6% of the patients. The mortality rate in the tested group was 46%. Conclusion The frequency of the application of blood components was significantly higher in patients with a severe form of the disease. The presence of comorbidities did not affect the need for transfusion therapy. In the group of patients treated in the intensive care units, 85% received erythrocytes, 39% received fresh frozen plasma, 19% received cryoprecipitate and 7% received platelets. © 2023, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved.