Maternal antepartum anaemia and its association with transfusion and perinatal outcomes: a 10-year retrospective cohort study

Introduction

Maternal anaemia may identify women at increased risk of transfusion and adverse peripartum outcomes. We examined these associations and described selected local outcome rates prior to the implementation of a formal obstetric patient blood management (PBM) pathway. Material and methods: This retrospective cohort included singleton delivery from 25 July 2012 to 31 December 2021. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin < 11.0 g/dl in the complete blood count. The primary outcome was red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during the index hospitalisation. Models were adjusted for maternal age, body mass index, mode of delivery, calendar year, and delivery order. Because some women contributed more than one delivery, standard errors were clustered at the woman level. Neonatal analyses were exploratory.