2022 OTA Annual Meeting : A Liberal Transfusion Threshold Leads to Higher Infection Rates, Orthopaedic Trauma and Anemia: Conservative Versus Liberal Transfusion Strategy (ORACL), A Prospective Randomized Study 30-Day Inpatient Complications

100 asymptomatic trauma patients were randomized to a conservative threshold for transfusion (5.5g/dL; n=50) or a liberal threshold for transfusion (7.0g/dL; n=50). The primary outcome of interest was the rate of infection. Secondary outcomes of interest included the rate of adverse outcomes. Follow-up was performed over 30 days. Study results showed that a conservative strategy resulted in a significantly lower rate of infection, particularly in deep infection, vs. a liberal strategy, with no difference in adverse outcomes.