Outcomes of a Quality Improvement Initiative to Prevent Unnecessary Packed Red Blood Cell Transfusions Among Extremely Low Birth-Weight Neonates.

Background: Extremely low birth-weight (ELBW) infants frequently receive packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions. Recent studies have shown that more restrictive PRBC transfusion guidelines limit donor exposure and reduce transfusion-related costs without any increase in adverse clinical outcomes.

Purpose: We developed and implemented an evidence-based PRBC transfusion guideline for ELBW infants treated in our unit and then measured provider adherence to this guideline.