Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grants - Institute/Initiative Community Support

Anemia, or low red blood cell levels, is common in hospitalized patients and linked to worse health outcomes such as heart problems and longer hospital stays. One often-overlooked cause of anemia is the amount of blood taken for laboratory testing. Frequent blood draws can lead to significant blood loss, increasing the need for transfusions. Blood transfusions, while sometimes necessary, are a limited resource and carry risks. The Small-Volume Tubes to Reduce Anemia and Transfusion Expansion Phase (STRATUS-X) project aims to address this problem. It builds on the successful STRATUS trial, which found that switching to small-volume blood collection tubes in intensive care units reduced blood loss and the need for transfusions without affecting lab test quality. These smaller tubes, already available and cost-neutral, collect about half as much blood as standard tubes. STRATUS-X will expand this approach across hospitals in Canada through a large, pragmatic clinical trial. This planning grant supports a one-day multidisciplinary meeting to design the trial, identify participating hospitals, discuss barriers to implementation, and finalize the study protocol. Patient partners, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers will collaborate to ensure the research reflects real-world priorities. If successful, STRATUS-X could reduce unnecessary blood loss, lower transfusion rates, improve cardiovascular outcomes, and help protect Canada's blood supply through a simple, safe, and cost-effective change in everyday hospital practice.