Càndid Villanueva, Alan Colomo, Alba Bosch, Mar Concepción, Virginia Hernandez-Gea, Carles Aracil, Isabel Graupera, María Poca, Cristina Alvarez-Urturi, Jordi Gordillo, Carlos Guarner-Argente, Miquel Santaló, Eduardo Muñiz, Carlos Guarner
BACKGROUND: The hemoglobin threshold for transfusion of red cells in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding is controversial. We compared the efficacy and safety of a restrictive transfusion strategy with those of a liberal transfusion strategy. METHODS: We enrolled 921 patients with severe acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding and randomly assigned 461 of them to a restrictive strategy (transfusion when the hemoglobin level fell below 7 g per deciliter) and 460 to a liberal strategy (transfusion when the hemoglobin fell below 9 g per deciliter)...
January 3, 2013: New England Journal of Medicine