Restrictive or Liberal Blood Transfusion in Patients with Myocardial Infarction and CKD.

Strom, Jordan B; Herbert, Brandon M; Bertolet, Marnie; Brooks, Maria M; Malik, Shahbaz A; Lemesle, Gilles; Madan, Mina; Steg, Philippe Gabriel et al. · J Am Soc Nephrol · 2025

rct · Level II

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Abstract

This Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion (MINT) trial analysis evaluated the optimal transfusion strategy for patients with CKD and anemia experiencing acute myocardial infarction. In patients with CKD, a liberal transfusion strategy overall did not demonstrate benefit over a restrictive strategy. CKD is associated with higher risk of myocardial infarction and anemia. Among patients with anemia and CKD who experience myocardial infarction, it remains uncertain whether a liberal red blood cell transfusion threshold strategy (hemoglobin cutoff <10 g/dl) is superior to a restrictive transfusion threshold (hemoglobin, 7–8 g/dl) strategy. Among the 3504 patients enrolled in the Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion (MINT) trial with nonmissing serum creatinine, we compared baseline characteristics and 30-day and 6-month outcomes of patients without CKD (<i>N</i>=1279), CKD with eGFR 30–60 ml/min per 1.73 m<sup>2</sup> (<i>N</i>=999), CKD with eGFR <30 ml/min per 1.73 m<sup>2</sup> (<i>N</i>=802), and CKD requiring dialysis (<i>N</i>=415) by assigned transfusion strategy. No statistically significant interactions were observed between CKD stage and assigned transfusion strategy. Among non–dialysis-dependent patients with an eGFR <30 ml/min per 1.73 m<sup>2</sup>, a restrictive transfusion strategy was associated with a higher risk of 30-day death or recurrent myocardial infarction (risk difference [RD], 5.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4% to 11.2%) compared with a liberal transfusion strategy. Among patients with an eGFR 30–60 ml/min per 1.73 m<sup>2</sup>, a restrictive strategy was associated with a similar risk of 30-day death or recurrent myocardial infarction (RD, 3.7%; 95% CI, −0.9% to 8.2%) compared with a liberal transfusion strategy. Among patients with CKD requiring dialysis, a restrictive strategy was also associated with a similar risk of 30-day death or recurrent myocardial infarction (RD, −2.6%; 95% CI, −10.0% to 4.8%) compared with a liberal transfusion strategy. In patients with CKD included in this MINT subgroup analysis, a liberal transfusion strategy was not worse than a restrictive transfusion strategy and was associated with less harm in subgroups not receiving dialysis. Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion (MINT), NCT02981407.