Transfusion Requirements in Younger Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

TRICS-IV is an international, multi-centre, open-label randomized controlled trial of two commonly used transfusion strategies in moderate to high risk patients who are 65 years of age or younger undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass, using a superiority trial design.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. ≥18 and ≤65 years of age 2. Planned cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass 3. Informed consent obtained 4. Preoperative European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE I) of 6 or more Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients who refuse participation 2. Patients who are unable to receive or who refuse blood products 3. Patients who are involved in a preoperative autologous pre-donation program 4. Patients who are having a heart transplant or having surgery solely for an insertion of a ventricular assist device 5. Pregnancy or lactation (a negative pregnancy test must be obtained prior to randomization for women of childbearing potential)