Transfusion of ABO-group identical red blood cells following uncrossmatched transfusion does not lead to higher mortality in civilian trauma patients.

BACKGROUND

Questions persist about the safety of switching non-group O recipients of group O uncrossmatched red blood cells (RBC) or low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) to ABO-identical RBCs during their resuscitation.

METHODS

The database of an earlier nine-center study of transfusing incompatible plasma to trauma patients was reanalyzed. The patients were divided into three groups based on 24-h RBC transfusion: (1) group O patients who received group O RBC/LTOWB units (control group, n = 1203), (2) non-group O recipients who received only group O units (n = 646), (3) non-group O recipients who received at least one unit of group O and non-group O units (n = 562). Fixed marginal effect of receipt of non-O RBC units on 6- and 24-h and 30-day mortality was calculated.

RESULTS

The non-O patients who received only group O RBCs received fewer RBC/LTOWB units and had slightly but significantly lower injury severity score compared to control group; non-group O patients who received both group O and non-O units received significantly more RBC/LTOWB units and had a slightly but significantly higher injury severity score compared to control group. In the multivariate analysis, the non-O patients who received only group O RBCs had significantly higher mortality at 6-h compared to the controls; the non-group O recipients of O and non-O RBCs did not demonstrate higher mortality. At 24-h and 30-days, there were no differences in survival between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Providing non-group O RBCs to non-group O trauma patients who also received group O RBC units is not associated with higher mortality.