Open AccessRetrospective Analysis of the Blood Component Utilization in a University Hospital of Maximum Medical Care
Author(s) -
Raoul Georg Geißler,
D. Franz,
Hubert Buddendick,
Petra Krakowitzky,
Holger Bunzemeier,
N. Roeder,
Hugo Van Aken,
Torsten Keßler,
Wolfgang E. Berdel,
W. Sibrowski,
Peter Schlenke
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
transfusion medicine and hemotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.971
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1660-3818
pISSN - 1660-3796
DOI - 10.1159/000337956
Subject(s) - medicine , apheresis , blood product , blood component , retrospective cohort study , fresh frozen plasma , population , blood transfusion , blood management , emergency medicine , cardiac surgery , autotransfusion , intensive care medicine , surgery , platelet , environmental health
BACKGROUND: Demographic data illustrate clearly that people in highly developed countries get older, and the elderly need more blood transfusions than younger patients. Additionally, special extensive therapies result in an increased consumption of blood components. Beyond that the aging of the population reduces the total number of preferably young and healthy blood donors. Therefore, Patient Blood Management will become more and more important in order to secure an increasing blood supply under fair-minded conditions. METHODS: At the University Hospital of Münster (UKM) a comprehensive retrospective analysis of the utilization of all conventional blood components was performed including all medical and surgical disciplines. In parallel, a new medical reporting system was installed to provide a monthly analysis of the transfusional treatments in the whole infirmary, in every department, and in special blood-consuming cases of interest, as well. RESULTS: The study refers to all UKM in-patient cases from 2009 to 2011. It clearly demonstrates that older patients (>60 years, 35.2-35.7% of all cases, but 49.4-52.6% of all cases with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, 36.4-41. 6% of all cases with platelet (PTL, apheresis only) transfusions, 45.2-48.0% of all cases with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions) need more blood products than younger patients. Male patients (54.4-63.9% of all cases with transfusions) are more susceptible to blood transfusions than female patients (36.1-45.6% of all cases with transfusions). Most blood components are used in cardiac, visceral, and orthopedic surgery (49.3-55.9% of all RBC units, 45.8-61.0% of all FFP units). When regarding medical disciplines, most transfusions are administered to hematologic and oncologic patients (12.9-17.7% of all RBC units, 9.2-12.0% of all FFP units). The consumption of PTL in this special patient cohort (40.6-50.9% of all PTL units) is more pronounced than in all other surgical or in non-surgical disciplines. CONCLUSION: The results obtained from our retrospective analysis may help to further optimize the responsible and medical indication-related utilization of blood transfusions as well as the recruitment of blood donors and their timing. It may be also a helpful tool in order to avoid needless transfusions and transfusionassociated adverse events.