PACER: Platelet Transfusion before CVC Placement in Patients with Thrombocytopaenia

Thrombocytopaenia is common in ICU patients, as is the placement of central venous catheters. Recommendations vary between regions and organisations as to whether patients should receive prophylactic platelet transfusion before CVC placement.

This large multi-centre RCT, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, aimed to establish if, in patients with platelet counts between 10,000 - 50,000 /mm³, CVC placement without prophylactic platelets was non-inferior to the administration of 1 unit of platelets, with a primary outcome of Grade 2-4 catheter related bleeding.

See the full paper here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2214322

The Bottom Line summary can be found here: https://www.thebottomline.org.uk/blog/ebm/platelet-transfusion-before-cvc-placement-in-patients-with-thrombocytopenia/