Restrictive or Liberal Transfusion Strategy in Myocardial Infarction and Anemia.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-28-2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A strategy of administering a transfusion only when the hemoglobin level falls below 7 or 8 g per deciliter has been widely adopted. However, patients with acute myocardial infarction may benefit from a higher hemoglobin level.
METHODS: In this phase 3, interventional trial, we randomly assigned patients with myocardial infarction and a hemoglobin level of less than 10 g per deciliter to a restrictive transfusion strategy (hemoglobin cutoff for transfusion, 7 or 8 g per deciliter) or a liberal transfusion strategy (hemoglobin cutoff,deciliter). The primary outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction or death at 30 days.
RESULTS: A total of 3504 patients were included in the primary analysis. The mean (±SD) number of red-cell units that were transfused was 0.7±1.6 in the restrictive-strategy group and 2.5±2.3 in the liberal-strategy group. The mean hemoglobin level was 1.3 to 1.6 g per deciliter lower in the restrictive-strategy group than in the liberal-strategy group on days 1 to 3 after randomization. A primary-outcome event occurred in 295 of 1749 patients (16.9%) in the restrictive-strategy group and in 255 of 1755 patients (14.5%) in the liberal-strategy group (risk ratio modeled with multiple imputation for incomplete follow-up, 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99 to 1.34; P = 0.07). Death occurred in 9.9% of the patients with the restrictive strategy and in 8.3% of the patients with the liberal strategy (risk ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.47); myocardial infarction occurred in 8.5% and 7.2% of the patients, respectively (risk ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.94 to 1.49).
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute myocardial infarction and anemia, a liberal transfusion strategy did not significantly reduce the risk of recurrent myocardial infarction or death at 30 days. However, potential harms of a restrictive transfusion strategy cannot be excluded. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others; MINT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02981407.).
Recommended Citation
Carson JL, Brooks MM, Hébert PC, Goodman SG, Bertolet M, Glynn SA, Chaitman BR, Simon T, Lopes RD, Goldsweig AM, DeFilippis AP, Abbott JD, Potter BJ, Carrier FM, Rao SV, Cooper HA, Ghafghazi S, Fergusson DA, Kostis WJ, Noveck H, Kim S, Tessalee M, Ducrocq G, de Barros E Silva PGM, Triulzi DJ, Alsweiler C, Menegus MA, Neary JD, Uhl L, Strom JB, Fordyce CB, Ferrari E, Silvain J, Wood FO, Daneault B, Polonsky TS, Senaratne M, Puymirat E, Bouleti C, Lattuca B, White HD, Kelsey SF, Steg PG, Alexander JH; MINT Investigators. Restrictive or Liberal Transfusion Strategy in Myocardial Infarction and Anemia. N Engl J Med. 2023 Dec 28;389(26):2446-2456. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2307983. Epub 2023 Nov 11. PMID: 37952133; PMCID: PMC10837004.
