Exploring the microvascular impact of red blood cell transfusion in intensive care unit patients

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is a common treatment for hospitalized patients. However, the effects of RBC transfusion on microvascular function remain controversial.

In a medical ICU in a tertiary teaching hospital, we prospectively included anemic patients requiring RBC transfusion. Skin microvascular reactivity was measured before and 30 min after RBC transfusion. Plasma was collected to analyze intravascular hemolysis and draw the lipidomic and cytokine profiles.

In a cohort of 59 patients, the median age was 66 [55–81] years and SAPS II was 38 [24–48]. After RBC transfusion, endothelium-dependent microvascular reactivity improved in 35 (59%) patients, but worsened in 24 others (41%). Comparing clinical and biological markers revealed that baseline blood leucokyte counts distinguished improving from worsening patients (10.3 [5.7; 19.7] vs. 4.6 [2.1; 7.3] × 10⁹/L; p = 0.001) and correlated with variations of microvascular reactivity (r = 0.36, p = 0.005). Blood platelet count was also higher in improving patients (200 [97; 280] vs 160 [40; 199] × 10³/mL, p = 0.03) but did not correlate with variations of microvascular reactivity. We observed no intravascular hemolysis (HbCO, heme, bilirubin, LDH), but recorded a significant increase in RBC microparticle levels specific to improving patients after transfusion (292 [108; 531] vs. 53 [34; 99] MP/μL; p = 0.03). The improvement in microvascular dilation was positively correlated with RBC microparticle levels (R = 0.83, p < 0.001) and conversion of arachidonic acid into vasodilating eicosanoids.

Patients displaying an improved microvascular reactivity after RBC transfusion had high blood leukocyte counts, increased RBC microparticle formation, and enhanced metabolism of arachidonic acid into vasodilating lipids. Our data suggested a contribution of recipient leukocytes to the vascular impact of RBC transfusion.