POC - Transfusion Algorithm Cardiac Study (TACS)

Blood Conservation in Cardiac Surgery Using a Novel Transfusion Algorithm Based on Point-of-care Testing-A Stepped-wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

This multi-centre study will provide sound, generalizable data on the effectiveness of a POC-based algorithm to determine to what extent this guideline can reduce blood product transfusions. Investigators will study outcomes in 7000 patients undergoing heart surgery at 10 participating hospitals. The proposed trial addresses several important research and clinical issues and has the potential to markedly improve the transfusion management and surgical care in general of cardiac surgery patients.

The intervention will be a novel POC-based algorithm that has been shown in a pilot study by us to be associated with a substantial reduction in blood product transfusions. The algorithm will employ viscoelastic and aggregometric POC-tests and an objective measure of blood loss. The primary outcome will be avoidance of red blood cell transfusion during hospitalization. The study has a 90% power to detect a 12% increase in avoidance rate. Secondary outcomes will include avoidance of red blood cell use and other blood products (plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate), units of blood products transfused, and adverse clinical outcomes related to transfusion (acute kidney injury, infections, and death). Data will also be collected for future health-economics analyses.

Largely due to the limitations of existing evidence, however, such algorithms are rarely used in clinical practice. The proposed trial will provide sound, generalizable data on the effectiveness of a POC-based algorithm to guide their future use. An integrated blood management algorithm that employs POC coagulation tests will reduce blood product transfusions in cardiac surgery, thereby improving clinical outcomes.

Does an integrated blood transfusion algorithm that employs POC coagulation tests applied across a network of hospitals reduce blood transfusions and associated adverse outcomes in cardiac surgery?

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Heart Diseases
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: POC-based transfusion algorithm

Detailed Description

Despite major advances in cardiac surgery, coagulopathy continues to carry a heavy burden in cases that require the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), occurring frequently and resulting in excessive blood loss, blood product transfusions, and adverse clinical outcomes. Current management of coagulopathy is hampered by the inability of conventional laboratory tests to delineate its etiology in a timely manner, thereby precluding timely and targeted transfusion therapy. With the advent of point-of-care (POC) coagulation tests that can rapidly identify the etiology of coagulopathy, it may now be possible to reduce the burden of coagulopathy and thereby reduce transfusions and adverse outcomes. Several single-centre studies (including one by the investigator group) have found that the use of POC-based algorithms in cardiac surgery can markedly reduce blood product transfusions and by that means reduce morbidities and mortality.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 7402
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Alberta
    • Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 2T9
      • Dr. Charles McAdams
    • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
      • Blaine Achen
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1M9
      • Dr. Terry Waters
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
      • Dr. Sukhpal Brar
  • Manitoba
    • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R2H 2A6
      • Dr. H. Grocott
  • Ontario
    • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8N 3Z5
      • Dr. Summer Syed
    • London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5A5
      • Dr. Christopher Harle
    • Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, L3Y 2P9
      • Dr. Daniel Kim
    • Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1Y 4W7
      • Dr. D. Tran
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5
      • Dr. F. Moussa
  • Quebec
    • Fleurimont, Quebec, Canada, J1H 5N4
      • Dr. E. Medicis
    • Sainte -Foy, Quebec, Canada, G1V 4G5
      • Dr. J. Bussieres

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Hospital Inclusion:

• Participating hospitals must not currently be using a POC-based blood conservation algorithm; must have an in-hospital RBC transfusion rate of > 35% and platelet or plasma transfusion rates of > 20%; must conduct > 600 cardiac surgeries employing CPB per year; and must have commitments from departments of Anesthesia, Cardiac Surgery, and Laboratory Medicine to support the study and to abide by the algorithm
• Blood transfusion algorithm instituted as standard-of-care at participating hospitals
• All adult (≥ 18 years) patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) will be included in the analysis.

Exclusion Criteria: Hospitals not meeting inclusion.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Transfusion Algorithm; Hospitals will be randomized to the intervention arm of the study in a stratified manner.	Other: POC-based transfusion algorithm; A transfusion algorithm based on point-of-care coagulation testing.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Point Of Care (POC) Transfusion Algorithm Cardiac Study	The primary outcome measure will be the proportion of patients who receive any allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion from admission before surgery to end of follow-up.	2.5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Transfusion	Allogeneic blood products (platelets, plasma, cryoprecipitate) or coagulation factors (e.g., fibrinogen concentrate, factor VIIa), or undergo re-exploration; units of blood products transfused, nadir hemoglobin concentration (to identify changes in transfusion practice that may be unrelated to treatment of coagulopathy)	7 days
Blood loss	Chest-tube drainage at 6 and 24 hours after surgery	24 hours
Ventilation and hospital stay	Duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in the ICU and hospital	24 hours to 7 days
Kidney injury	Incidence of acute kidney injury, defined as a ≥ 2-fold in increase in creatinine or new renal replacement therapy within 48 hours after surgery	48 hours
Post operative complications	Arrhythmias, sternal infection, myocardial infarction, stroke, thromboembolic events, and death	7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Health Network, Toronto

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Karkouti K, Callum J, Wijeysundera DN, Rao V, Crowther M, Grocott HP, Pinto R, Scales DC; TACS Investigators. Point-of-Care Hemostatic Testing in Cardiac Surgery: A Stepped-Wedge Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial. Circulation. 2016 Oct 18;134(16):1152-1162. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.023956. Epub 2016 Sep 21.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 20, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 24, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): July 25, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 5, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2016
• Last Verified: December 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cardiac surgery; Rotem; Transfusion; Cardiopulmonary bypass; Blood products; Vascular surgery; Point of care coagulation tests; Viscoelastic coagulation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Heart Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: 14-7495-A