Comparative Efficacy of Transfusion Strategies in Women and Men With Myocardial Infarction and Anemia: Prespecified Secondary Findings From the MINT Trial

J J. Dawn Abbott J Jocelyne R. Benatar (Green Lane Clinical Coordinating Centre, Auckland, New Zealand (J.R.B., H.D.W.).) C Colleen M. Ballantyne (Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).) A Alice K. Jacobs (Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA (A.K.J.).) A Andrew M. Goldsweig (Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Baystate Medical Center and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Massachusetts-Baystate, Springfield, MA (A.M.G.).) D Dean A. Fergusson (University of Ottawa, Ottawa) B Brandon M. Hebert (Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).) M Marnie Bertolet (Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).) T Tabassome Simon (French Alliance for Cardiovascular Trials, Paris) P P. Gabriel Steg (Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France (P.G.S.).) S Shaun G. Goodman (St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (S.G.G.).) H Harvey D. White (Green Lane Clinical Coordinating Centre, Auckland, New Zealand (J.R.B., H.D.W.).) J Jeffrey L. Carson (Division of General Internal Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ (J.L.C.).) M Maria M. Brooks (Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).) C Conrado Estol M Marcelo Rugiero F Florencia Aguirre H Halina Navumava R Ruslan Yakubtsevich Y Yury Holets M Marcelo Vianna Raffo A Alexandre Guerreiro D Daniel Thomas Pereira Lopes E Eduardo Estephan W Wilson Marques V Vera Bril X Xinghu Zhang F Fudong Shi D Dian He L Lan Chu C Chongbo Zhao Y Yuwei Da Q Qi Fang (State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Biology and Ecological Regulation of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University) J Jing Li T Ting Chang S Sabrina Sacconi A Aleksandra Nadaj-Pakleza T Tim Hagenacker A Anirudha Apte R Rahul Baviskar A Arvind N. Prabhu, Praveen Kumar J Jayantee S. Kalita R Rahul Kulkarni S Surya Prabha Turaga R Rukmini Kandadai N Neeharika Lakshmi Mathukumalli S Sanjay Ramteke R Raffaele Iorio R Renato Emilio Mantegazza C Carlo Giuseppe Antozzi A Akiyuki Uzawa G Genya Watanabe Y Yasushi Suzuki M Masako Suzuki T Takayuki Kondo A Andrzej Szczudlik A Anetta Lasek-Bal J Joanna Siuda M Małgorzata Zajda K Karolina Piasecka-Stryczynska R Russian Federation E Elena Parshina D Denis Korobko I Irina Poverennova E Evgeny Evdoshenko Z Zoya Goncharova Y Yury Trinitatskiy K Klara Bakhtiyarova I Inna Smagina S South Korea B Byoung Joon Kim H Ha Young Shin J Jeeyoung Oh A Alicia Martínez-Piñeiro E Eduardo Aguera Morales L Long-Sun Ro J Jiann-Horng Yeh H Hsueh-Wen Hsueh N Nai-Wen Tsai Y Yuan-Ting Sun Y Yi-Chung Lee C Chen-Chih Chung A Ayse Nur Yuceyar I Ihsan Sukru Sengun O Olga Shulga O Oleksandr Doroshenko S Sergii Moskovko O Oleksandr Kalbus A Aziz Shaibani W Waqar Waheed T Tuan Vu K Kelly G. Gwathmey G George A. Small R Ratna Bhavaraju-Sanka A Ali A. Habib U Urvi Desai Y Yessar M. Hussain N Nicholas Streicher R Ryan Drake R Richard J. Nowak (Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine) M Michael Benatar (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami) E Emma Ciafaloni (University of Rochester, Rochester, NY) J James F. Howard (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) M M. Isabel Leite (University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom) J John Vissing (Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen) K Kimiaki Utsugisawa F Fred Lublin G Gary Cutter K Ken Sherman J John W. Baddley V Violeta Rus D Donald B. Sanders

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The optimal transfusion strategy in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and anemia may be influenced by sex differences in pathophysiology and cardiovascular outcomes. The Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion trial (MINT) randomized patients with AMI and anemia to restrictive or liberal transfusion thresholds, but sex-stratified outcomes remain undefined. The objective was to evaluate whether the clinical effect of restrictive versus liberal red blood cell transfusion strategies differs by sex in patients hospitalized with AMI and anemia. METHODS: In this prespecified secondary analysis of the MINT trial, we examined outcomes by sex and transfusion strategy. The primary outcome was 30-day composite death or MI. Secondary outcomes included heart failure, stroke, cardiac death, and 180-day mortality. Adjusted relative risks (RRs) and hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated accounting for sex differences at baseline. Interactions between sex and transfusion effects were assessed. RESULTS: There were 3504 study participants, of whom 1593 (45.4%) were women. Women received fewer transfusions on average. Primary outcome occurred in 15.7% of women and 15.7% of men and occurred in 16.5% of women and 17.1% of men in the restrictive arm, versus 14.9% and 14.2% in the liberal arm, respectively. Women had a lower mortality between 30 and 180 days (11.0% versus 13.5%; P =0.04). There were no statistically significant interactions between sex and transfusion strategy for the primary outcome (interaction P =0.60). For 30-day cardiac death, a higher RR in men was observed in the restrictive transfusion arm (RR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.48–3.70; interaction P =0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For MINT patients with anemia and AMI, women comprised nearly half of the study population, and randomization to a restrictive or liberal transfusion strategy resulted in comparable outcomes in women and men. These findings support sex-neutral transfusion thresholds. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02981407.

Article Details

Journal Circulation
Volume / Issue Vol. 154, Issue 3
Published July 21, 2026
Pages 201-211
ISSN 0009-7322
Publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Journal Info

Circulation

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

ISSN: 0009-7322 Health Sciences

Authors (112)

J

J. Dawn Abbott

J

Jocelyne R. Benatar

Green Lane Clinical Coordinating Centre, Auckland, New Zealand (J.R.B., H.D.W.).

C

Colleen M. Ballantyne

Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).

A

Alice K. Jacobs

Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA (A.K.J.).

A

Andrew M. Goldsweig

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Baystate Medical Center and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Massachusetts-Baystate, Springfield, MA (A.M.G.).

D

Dean A. Fergusson

University of Ottawa, Ottawa

B

Brandon M. Hebert

Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).

M

Marnie Bertolet

Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).

T

Tabassome Simon

French Alliance for Cardiovascular Trials, Paris

P

P. Gabriel Steg

Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France (P.G.S.).

S

Shaun G. Goodman

St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (S.G.G.).

H

Harvey D. White

Green Lane Clinical Coordinating Centre, Auckland, New Zealand (J.R.B., H.D.W.).

J

Jeffrey L. Carson

Division of General Internal Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ (J.L.C.).

M

Maria M. Brooks

Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (C.M.B., B.M.H., M.B., M.M.B.).

C

Conrado Estol

M

Marcelo Rugiero

F

Florencia Aguirre

H

Halina Navumava

R

Ruslan Yakubtsevich

Y

Yury Holets

M

Marcelo Vianna Raffo

A

Alexandre Guerreiro

D

Daniel Thomas Pereira Lopes

E

Eduardo Estephan

W

Wilson Marques

V

Vera Bril

X

Xinghu Zhang

F

Fudong Shi

D

Dian He

L

Lan Chu

C

Chongbo Zhao

Y

Yuwei Da

Q

Qi Fang

State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Biology and Ecological Regulation of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University

J

Jing Li

T

Ting Chang

S

Sabrina Sacconi

A

Aleksandra Nadaj-Pakleza

T

Tim Hagenacker

A

Anirudha Apte

R

Rahul Baviskar

A

Arvind N. Prabhu, Praveen Kumar

J

Jayantee S. Kalita

R

Rahul Kulkarni

S

Surya Prabha Turaga

R

Rukmini Kandadai

N

Neeharika Lakshmi Mathukumalli

S

Sanjay Ramteke

R

Raffaele Iorio

R

Renato Emilio Mantegazza

C

Carlo Giuseppe Antozzi

A

Akiyuki Uzawa

G

Genya Watanabe

Y

Yasushi Suzuki

M

Masako Suzuki

T

Takayuki Kondo

A

Andrzej Szczudlik

A

Anetta Lasek-Bal

J

Joanna Siuda

M

Małgorzata Zajda

K

Karolina Piasecka-Stryczynska

R

Russian Federation

E

Elena Parshina

D

Denis Korobko

I

Irina Poverennova

E

Evgeny Evdoshenko

Z

Zoya Goncharova

Y

Yury Trinitatskiy

K

Klara Bakhtiyarova

I

Inna Smagina

S

South Korea

B

Byoung Joon Kim

H

Ha Young Shin

J

Jeeyoung Oh

A

Alicia Martínez-Piñeiro

E

Eduardo Aguera Morales

L

Long-Sun Ro

J

Jiann-Horng Yeh

H

Hsueh-Wen Hsueh

N

Nai-Wen Tsai

Y

Yuan-Ting Sun

Y

Yi-Chung Lee

C

Chen-Chih Chung

A

Ayse Nur Yuceyar

I

Ihsan Sukru Sengun

O

Olga Shulga

O

Oleksandr Doroshenko

S

Sergii Moskovko

O

Oleksandr Kalbus

A

Aziz Shaibani

W

Waqar Waheed

T

Tuan Vu

K

Kelly G. Gwathmey

G

George A. Small

R

Ratna Bhavaraju-Sanka

A

Ali A. Habib

U

Urvi Desai

Y

Yessar M. Hussain

N

Nicholas Streicher

R

Ryan Drake

R

Richard J. Nowak

Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine

M

Michael Benatar

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami

E

Emma Ciafaloni

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

J

James F. Howard

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

M

M. Isabel Leite

University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

J

John Vissing

Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen

K

Kimiaki Utsugisawa

F

Fred Lublin

G

Gary Cutter

K

Ken Sherman

J

John W. Baddley

V

Violeta Rus

D

Donald B. Sanders