Small-Volume Blood Collection May Reduce Transfusion Needs in the ICU

The STRATUS randomized clinical trial was a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial in 25 adult medical-surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in Canada that studied standard-volume to small-volume vacuum tubes for blood collection in the ICU. In the primary analysis, there was no significant difference in red blood cell transfusion between groups. However, in a pre-specified secondary analysis, red blood cell transfusion decreased after the transition from standard-volume tubes to small-volume tubes.