Prof. Kathryn Maitland: "Anaemia & Transfusion: lessons learned from the TRACT trial"

Severe anaemia is common and life-threatening cause of admission in children in sub-Saharan Africa(sSA) ~ 10% will die in hospital, and ~ 12% die 6 month post-discharge l. Whilst blood transfusions are an important treatment for severe anaemia,  scientific evidence to guide doctors on how much blood to give children, or which children require it is poor. The TRACT trial showed that children with complicated severe anaemia (Hb The TRACT trial also showed that children with uncomplicated severe anaemia (no severity signs, haemoglobin 4-6g/dl) do not require an immediate transfusion, as long as they are closely monitored for signs of complications, or their haemoglobin levels dropping, and receive a transfusion at that point.