Use of Blood Products

Administration of any blood product must be discussed with the Intensive Care Specialist and Surgeon.

Red Blood Cells (RBC)

Consider RBC transfusion if:

Haemodynamically stable (on no inotropes or vasporessor)	Hb <70
Unstable (requiring inotropes or vasopressor (>5 µgms/kg/min)	Hb >80

Not indicated if patient not bleeding

If excessive bleeding, give 1 pool of platelets irrespective of the platelet count

Not indicated if patient not bleeding

If excessive bleeding & INR > 2 or APTT > 60, give 2 units FFP
If INR 1.5-2 and bleeding shows no signs of slowing, give 2 units FFP
If excessive bleeding and fibrinogen < 1.0mg/L, give cryoprecipitate
If fibrinogen 1.0 - 1.5mg/L and excessive bleeding shows no signs of slowing, give cryoprecipitate.