Choosing Wisely Talks | Choose Small Tubes: Lessons from the STRATUS Study
Unnecessary blood collection in patients is a modifiable contributor to anemia and red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, as much of the blood drawn is ultimately discarded rather than analyzed. The STRATUS study evaluated whether the routine use of small-volume blood collection tubes (“soft draw”) could reduce RBC transfusion requirements compared with standard blood collection tubes in adult ICU patients across Canada. The findings suggest that implementing small-volume blood collection tubes in the ICU may reduce RBC transfusions without compromising laboratory accuracy and integrity.