Table 2 Exclusion criteria

1

Age at ICU entry < 3 days from birth or > 16 years of age

2

Post-conception age < 36 weeks on admission to ICU

3

Documented RBC transfusion within the 28 days prior to fulfilling the eligibility criteria

4

Previously randomized in this study

5

Weight < 3.0 kg on ICU admission

6

Pregnant

7

Conscious objection or unwillingness to receive blood products

8

Not expected to survive beyond 24 h, brain death or suspected brain death

9

Limitation or withdrawal of care decisions have been made

10

Enrollment in another randomized clinical trial which has not been approved for co-enrollment

11

Patients for whom autologous and/or directed donation RBCs will be provided

12

Patients for whom the treating physician routinely and systematically requests RBC ≤ 14 days of storage

13

Patients for whom there systematically exist RBC aliquoting policies that mandate the initial use of units stored for ≤14 days (ex: Pedi-Pack)

14

On ECMO or plan to be immediately placed on ECMO at time of enrollment

15

Patient predicted or presumed to require a massive transfusion (> 40 ml/kg of all blood components in a 24-h period) according to treating physician judgment

16

Refusal by physician

17

Inability to obtain consent

18

Blood bank personnel experiences difficulties in securing blood products (difficult cross matches, rare blood groups, and diseases like IgA deficiency)

19

Insufficient number of ABO type compatible RBC units available in the blood bank at randomization with a storage time ≤ 7 days (minimum 1 unit regardless of patient age)

20

All RBC units available for the patient are not leukocyte-reduced prior to storage