A monthly roundup of key articles in other journals

Abstract

Patient blood management recommendations from the 2018 Frankfurt consensus conference. Mueller MM, Van Remoortel H, Meybohm P, et al. JAMA 2019;321:983-97. On April 24 and 25, 2018, a scientific consortium gathered in Frankfurt, Germany, to define evidence-based recommendations for patient blood management (PBM); their focus was on preoperative anemia, RBC transfusion thresholds, and implementing PBM programs. Patient blood management is based on the concept of conserving the patient’s own blood, with the aims of improving clinical outcomes, reducing transfusion rates, reducing health care costs, and increasing resource availability. Evidence-based recommendations are vital to the design and implementation of effective PBM strategies. An international panel of experts considered 17 questions: three concerned preoperative anemia, 11 dealt with red blood cell (RBC) transfusion thresholds, and three addressed implementation of PBM programs. In a systemic review, 145 studies (63 randomized trials and 82 observational studies) encompassing 23,143 adult patients were identified for analysis. Quality of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE methodology, and a two-thirds majority was considered a decisive vote for a recommendation.