Identification and management of preoperative anaemia in adults: A British Society for Haematology Guideline update.

This updated British Society for Haematology guideline provides an up-to-date literature review and recommendations regarding the identification and management of preoperative anaemia. This includes guidance on thresholds for the diagnosis of anaemia and the diagnosis and management of iron deficiency in the preoperative context. Guidance on the appropriate use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and preoperative transfusion is also provided.

Association of Preoperative Blood Transfusion on Postoperative Outcomes in Emergency General Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency general surgery (EGS) patients often present with anemia, in which preoperative transfusions are performed to mitigate anemia-associated risks. However, transfusions have also been noted to cause worse postoperative outcomes. This study examined how transfusion-associated outcomes vary at different levels of anemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2005 to 2019 was used to identify patients who had undergone any of 12 major EGS procedures using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Patients were divided into two cohorts based on receipt of preoperative transfusion. Cohorts were subdivided into anemia severity levels and propensity score-matched within each using patient demographic and comorbidity variables. We analyzed 30-day postoperative outcomes, including morbidity, mortality, and return to odds ratio (OR), using univariate Chi-squared tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: 595,407 EGS cases were identified. Receiving preoperative transfusion were 44.45% (n = 3058) of severely anemic, 10.94% (n = 9076) of moderately anemic, 1.34% (n = 1370) of mildly anemic, and 0.174% (n = 704) of no anemia patients. Transfusion resulted in an increased overall morbidity in the severe (OR 1.54), moderate (OR 1.50), mild (OR 1.71), and no anemia (OR 1.85) groups. Mortality increased in the moderate (OR 1.27), mild (OR 1.61), and no anemia (OR 1.76) subgroups. In severe anemia, transfusion status and mortality were not significantly associated. CONCLUSIONS: Transfusion is associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates in those with higher hematocrit levels, even after controlling for pre-existing comorbidities. A restrictive transfusion strategy should be considered to avoid risks for those with a hematocrit level more than 24%.

The role of preoperative transfusion in sickle cell disease, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide guidance on preoperative blood transfusion strategies for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). We included all randomized controlled and observational studies exploring the clinical outcomes of preoperative blood transfusion among patients with SCD compared to the conservative transfusion strategy until 14/09/2022. Sixteen studies involving 3486 participants were analysed. The findings revealed a significantly higher bleeding rate in patients who received preoperative transfusion than those who followed a conservative strategy (RR = 4.32, 95% CI 1.75-10.68, P = 0.002, I2 = 0%). However, the two strategies had no significant differences in other clinical outcomes, such as acute chest syndrome, painful crisis, fever, neurological complications, thrombosis, ICU admission, and mortality. It is important to note that all the included studies had a moderate risk of bias. Preoperative transfusion in SCD was associated with a higher bleeding risk but a similar risk in other outcomes compared to conservative strategies. Notably, the increased bleeding risk observed seldom had clinical significance. We recommend individualizing management strategies, considering the overall positive impact of transfusions in reducing complications. Further high-quality studies are needed to refine recommendations.

Hematocrit as a predictor of preoperative transfusion-associated complications in spine surgery: A NSQIP study.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Preoperative optimization of medical comorbidities prior to spinal surgery is becoming an increasingly important intervention in decreasing postoperative complications and ensuring a satisfactory postoperative course. The treatment of preoperative anemia is based on guidelines made by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), which recommends packed red blood cell transfusion when hematocrit is less than 21% in patients without cardiovascular disease and 24% in patients with cardiovascular disease. The literature has yet to quantify the risk profile associated with preoperative pRBC transfusion. PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of complications following preoperative pRBC transfusion in a cohort of patients undergoing spine surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of a national surgical database. PATIENT SAMPLE: The national surgical quality improvement program database OUTCOME NEASURES: Postoperative physiologic complications after a preoperative transfusion. Complications were defined as the occurrence of any DVT, PE, stroke, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, longer length of stay, need for mechanical ventilation greater than 48 h, surgical site infections, sepsis, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, or higher 30-day mortality. METHODS: The national surgical quality improvement program database was queried, and patients were included if they had any type of spine surgery and had a preoperative transfusion. RESULTS: Preoperative pRBC transfusion was found to be protective against complications when the hematocrit was less than 20% and associated with more complications when the hematocrit was higher than 20%. In patients with a hematocrit higher than 20%, pRBC transfusion was associated with longer lengths of stay, and higher rates of ventilator dependency greater than 48 h, pneumonia, and 30-day mortality. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to identify an inflection point in determining when a preoperative pRBC transfusion may be protective or may contribute to complications. Further studies are needed to be conducted to stratify by the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

Preoperative Transfusion for Anemia in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery for Malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Transfusion guidelines have been established for severe anemia, but limited data is available regarding the utility of preoperative transfusion. This study evaluates the predictive factors and relative value of preoperative transfusion in oncologic patients with moderate anemia undergoing abdominal surgery. METHODS: Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, adult patients with moderate anemia (hematocrit 21-27%) who underwent non-emergent abdominal oncologic resection from 2005 to 2017 were identified. Preoperative transfusion and non-transfused patients were propensity score matched based on baseline covariates. Outcomes were compared using univariate and Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 6222 patients, preoperative transfused (N = 1000, 16.1%) patients were more likely to have bleeding disorders (12.1% vs 6.7%, p < 0.0001) and baseline thrombocytopenia (12% vs 7.3%, p < 0.0001) and had shorter operative length (< 180 min: 69.4% vs 59.8%, p < 0.0001). After matching (N = 987/group), preoperative transfusion was associated with higher rates of intraoperative/postoperative transfusion (odds ratio 1.24, p 0.017) and surgical site infections (odds ratio 1.67, p 0.004) and longer length of stay (incidence rate ratio 1.06, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative transfusion is associated with increased surgical site infections and longer hospital stay and should be carefully considered in oncologic patients given the absence of improvement in outcomes.

Restrictive transfusion in radical cystectomy is safe.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) is commonplace in radical cystectomy (RC) and has been linked to poorer oncologic outcomes. Limiting PBT in this largely elderly and comorbid population has not been studied. Herein, we first investigate the safety of a restrictive transfusion protocol (RTP) in patients undergoing RC for urothelial carcinoma and then compare oncologic outcomes between patients who did and did not receive PBT. METHODS: Outcomes for 173 consecutive patients meeting inclusion criteria undergoing RC for urothelial carcinoma from April 2010 to June 2014 by a single surgeon employing RTP were analyzed from an institutional review board-approved, prospectively collected database. Pairwise matching to a cohort undergoing RC during an earlier era of more liberal PBT was performed, and 90-day outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Median follow-up for the RTP cohort was 3.1 years (range: 0-5.1y). Median age was 70 years (range: 38-93y). Forty-six patients (26.6%) received PBT. Eighty-seven matched pairs were generated from RTP cohort and liberal era where PBT rate was 94%. There were no differences in 90-day complication rates, mortality, or readmission rates (P>0.05). In the RTP cohort, patients who underwent PBT had higher estimated blood loss (500 vs. 350, P = 0.001), lower baseline hematocrit (28.9 vs. 33.3, P = 0.005), and similar operative time (5.8 vs. 5.3h, P = 0.01) and length of stay (5.5 vs. 5, P = 0.07). At discharge and 3-week follow-up, there was no difference in hematocrit (P>0.05). In the no-PBT group, 90-day (65.6% vs. 86.7%, P = 0.007) and high-grade (15.6% vs. 34.8%, P = 0.003) complication rates were lower. On multivariable analysis, predictors of PBT were age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, 95% CI [1.01-1.11]), Charlson comorbidity index≥2 (OR = 2.68, CI [1.09-7.04]), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR = 3.74, CI [1.46-10.19]),≥pT3 (OR = 5.5, CI [2.33-13.73]), baseline hematocrit (OR = 0.95, CI [0.87-1.00]), and estimated blood loss (OR = 1.001, CI [1-1.003]). PBT was associated with lower recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio = 2.16; CI [1.13-41.12]; P = 0.02) and overall survival (hazard ratio =2.25; CI [1.25-4.88]; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The use of RTP in RC is safe. PBT was associated with poorer recurrence-free survival and overall survival independent of clinicopathologic characteristics.