Fig. 2

Practice of transfusion compared to the German guidelines of blood transfusion. The examined hemoglobin concentrations (Hbs) are the minimal Hbs during hospital stay (for children who did no receive red blood cells [RBCs]) or the measured Hbs before transfusion of RBCs (for children who received transfusion). The Hb-threshold lines (red) represent the Hb-thresholds of the German guideline of blood transfusion for stable (6 g/dl) or instable (10 g/dl) children > 4 months [16]. The diagram shows that all hemodynamically stable children were transfused at hemoglobin triggers higher than recommended in the German guidelines. Transfused children that received catecholamines were transfused too restrictive according to the German guidelines. Overall the decision to transfuse was too liberally in 74, too restrictive in 23% and in 3% adequate according to the German guidelines