Evaluation of the Use of Blood Products in ICU Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic tested the public health system’s readiness for crises and highlighted the importance of knowing the demand for blood products and the maintenance of the blood supply chain. The aim of this study was to evaluate blood product usage in a series of patients that were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and to analyze their demographics and clinical characteristics. (2) Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed data from transfused COVID-19 patients that were treated in the University Hospital Medical Center Bezanijska Kosa in Belgrade, Serbia during the second wave of the epidemic. (3) Results: This study included 90 patients. The median age of the patients was 72 (range 23–95) years. The median time of hospitalization was 23 days (range 3–73 days). In intensive care units (ICUs) the median time of hospitalization was 9 days (range 0–73). One or more comorbidities were observed in 86 individuals (95.6%). The total number of transfused red blood cell concetrates (RBC) was 304 (139 in ICU, 165 in other wards), with a mean of 3 units/patient (range 1–14). Comorbidities, severity of illness and hospital duration in the ICU were statistically significant predictors of higher RBC use. (4) Conclusion: Knowledge of the transfusion profile of COVID-19 patients allowed better management of the hospital’s blood stocks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• blood transfusion
• RBC
• ICU
• blood supply