Project 420933

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are selected based upon donor and recipient blood group compatibility: donor and recipient sex are not factored into the selection of compatible blood.This study will explore feasibility of undertaking a clinical trial to determine potential benefits for patients to receive RBC transfusions from donors of the same sex ("sex-matched") compared with donors of the opposite sex ("sex-mismatched"). Sex-matched stem cell and some solid organ transplants have been shown to improve patient outcomes. Recent exploratory studies suggest that patient outcomes could be improved by sex-matching for RBC transfusion. There is emerging evidence of underlying biologic mechanism(s) to support these observations. A trial to investigate the effect on recipient mortality of sex-matched compared with sex-mismatched RBC transfusions will have direct implications on resources, blood inventory and ordering practices. The ultimate research question that we want to address is: In transfused adult patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, is the risk of in-hospital mortality lower when donor-recipient sex-matched RBCs are transfused compared to sex-mismatched RBC transfusions? This proposal is designed as a pilot study with feasibility outcomes to inform a larger randomized controlled trial to address this research question. This project is consistent with CIHR objectives to improve individual health while identifying the implications and risk to the health delivery system. This study brings together a collaborative group of experienced investigators, including affiliates of Canadian Blood Services, to lay the groundwork for a study with potentially significant impact on patient outcomes, blood collection and transfusion practices.