Transfusion requirements after head trauma: a randomized feasibility controlled trial.

Background: Anemia is frequent among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is associated with an increased risk of poor outcome. The optimal hemoglobin concentration to trigger red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in patients with TBI is not clearly defined.

Methods: All eligible consecutive adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with moderate or severe TBI were randomized to a "restrictive" (hemoglobin transfusion threshold of 7 g/dL), or a "liberal" (threshold 9 g/dL) transfusion strategy.