Effects of Red Blood Cells Transfusion on Renal Blood Flow

The renal Doppler resistive index (RRI) is a noninvasive tool that has been used to assess renal perfusion in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. It is associated with the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI). Many parameters have been described as influential on the values of renal RI. Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion were shown to be able to increase renal oxygenation in animal model, whereas crystalloid resuscitation did not. We sought to describe the different effect of crystalloids infusion and RBC transfusion on renal blood flow, as evaluated with doppler ultrasound