Plasma, platelet and red blood cell transfusion ratios for life‐threatening non‐traumatic haemorrhage in medical and post‐surgical patients: An observational study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Despite the broad utilization of component-based transfusion strategies that aim to reconstitute whole blood during acute traumatic haemorrhage, data for haemorrhage occurring outside of trauma and surgery are limited. METHODS This is an observational cohort study of adults experiencing critical non-traumatic, non-intraoperative haemorrhage during hospitalization at an academic medical centre from 2011 to 2015. The primary goal was to evaluate differences in plasma and platelet to red blood cell (RBC) transfusion ratios across patient demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics. Secondarily, associations between transfusion ratios and clinical outcomes were assessed. RESULTS Seven hundred nine patients were included: 498 (70.2%) medical and 211 (29.8%) post surgical. The gastrointestinal tract (36.7%) was the most common site of bleeding. Most patients received RBCs without plasma (35.5%) or platelets (54.2%). Among those receiving plasma, 82.3% received a plasma to RBC ratio