Cardiovascular responses to blood transfusion in children with anemic heart failure.

INTRODUCTION This study evaluated the cardiovascular responses to blood transfusion in children with anemic heart failure using mostly clinical parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive patients with anemic heart failure presenting to a children's emergency room and requiring blood transfusion were assessed for heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), liver size, and oxygen saturation (O 2 sat) pre-transfusion, 1-2 h into transfusion (intra-transfusion), immediate post-transfusion, and at late post-transfusion (24 h later). RESULTS A total of 75 patients were recruited of which 46 (61.3%) were males. Their mean age was 43.8 ± 40.3 months while their mean PCV at presentation was 15.0 ± 4.5%. There was a significant mean net reduction of 10 beat per minute (bpm) between the pre (139.7 ± 25.2 bpm) and intra-transfusion (129.6 ± 22.0 bpm) HR, P = 0.0004. The mean net reduction of 4 cycles/ min between the pre and intra-transfusion RR was also significant, P = 0.0033. The two parameters declined in values subsequently. CONCLUSION The HR and RR are two easily measurable indices with reduction in HR and RR by 10 bpm and 4 cycles/min, respectively, from pre-transfusion to intra-transfusion observations.