RESULT-NOF
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of REStrictive versus Liberal Transfusion strategy on cardiac injury in patients undergoing surgery for fractured Neck Of Femur: a feasibility study.(RESuLT-NOF)
IRAS ID
219323
Contact name
Michael Gillies
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Lothian
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Over 65000 patients undergo surgery for hip fracture in the UK. Many are frail and have other health problems including heart disease and anaemia (low haemoglobin or “low blood count”) from chronic illness or bleeding at the time of their injury or during surgery.
Doctors looking after these patients commonly prescribe blood transfusions around the time of surgery. Patients often have anaemia before surgery and lose more blood during their operations. A benefit of blood transfusion is that it increases the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. One of the main reasons that doctors prescribe blood around the time of surgery is to prevent heart attacks, which can occur if the heart doesn't receive enough oxygen. However, blood transfusions can have side effects such as causing heart failure or increasing infections after surgery which can also delay patient recover. Although some research has been done in this area, anaesthetists and surgeons are still unsure of how low the blood count should be before a blood transfusion is ordered. Current guidelines suggest that prescribing at a lower haemoglobin count (70 g/L) is better, but there is research which suggests that this level is too low if the patient has a history of heart disease.
We wish to undertake a study comparing blood transfusion at two levels of anaemia to see which is best for patients. Patients will be allocated to either be transfused when their blood count is less than 9 or less than 7. In all patients, we will measure heart damage with a blood test. We will also collect data on the incidence of heart attacks and other complications. This study is a pilot study to see if a larger study of transfusion is feasible in these patients.
REC name
Scotland A: Adults with Incapacity only
REC reference
17/SS/0053
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion