ABO Blood Group and Transfusions In the Intraoperative and Postoperative Period After LVAD Implantation.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether blood group O patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) insertion have higher perioperative transfusion requirements, postoperative chest tube output, and postoperative changes in hematocrit. DESIGN: Retrospective review of 116 LVAD patients from August 2015 to May 2018. SETTING: Single-institution, urban academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixteen LVAD patients analyzed by blood group group O (n = 49) versus non-O (n = 67). INTERVENTIONS: Transfusions in the combined intraoperative and postoperative period at 7 days and 90 days after LVAD implantation, chest tube output in the first 24 hours, and hematocrit change in the first 48 hours postoperatively. RESULTS: There was no difference between group O and non-O within the univariable analysis for both 7-day and 90-day transfusion rates. Adjusting for covariables, blood type O was not associated with packed red blood cells transfusion after accounting for multiple comparisons (odds ratio 1.33 [1.07-1.66], p = 0.01, where p < 0.005 was considered statistically significant as a Bonferroni correction was performed to control the familywise error rate). Additionally, there was no difference in chest tube output over the first 24 hours (1,129 v 1,057 mL, p = 0.47) or hematocrit change in the first 48 hours postoperatively (3.49 v 4.53%, p = 0.15). CONCLUSION: O blood group is not a significant predictor of transfusion requirements in the combined intraoperative and postoperative period up to 90 days after LVAD implantation.