In a study of Jehovah's Witnesses (a group that refuses RBC transfusion on religious grounds) undergoing surgical procedures [74] , it was noted that mortality was significantly increased in patients with cardiac disease after a decrease in haemoglobin levels from 100-110 g/l to 60-69 g/l. In that study, patients with no cardiac disease and similar changes in haemoglobin levels showed no increase in mortality, which is in accordance with the results of the TRICC trial [10] . In the study by Hébert et al. [73] of 4470 critically ill patients, a correlation between Critical Care Vol 5 No 2 Alvarez et al [10] .