Abstract
BACKGROUND: Blood transfusions play a great role to improve oxygen delivery to tissues for indicated surgical patients. Preoperative ordering of blood, especially in elective surgery, is often based on the worst-case assumptions, demanding large quantities of blood or overestimating the anticipated blood loss, of which little is ultimately used. This study aimed to assess the practices of blood requisite and transfusion in surgical patients. METHOD: An institutional-based prospective study was conducted from September to February 2021/2022, in Debre Markos comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Socio-demographic data like age, sex, ASA status, type of anesthesia, and type of surgeries were taken preoperatively. The number of cross-matched and transfused data were collected from patient charts throughout the perioperative periods. Efficacy of blood utilization was evaluated using the following indices like cross-match to transfusion ratio (C/T ratio), transfusion probability (%T), and transfusion index (TI); a ratio of 2.5 and below, A value of 30% and above, and values of 0.5 or more respectively were considered indicative of significant blood usage and this study is registered with a research unique identifying number of researchregistry7989 and reported in line with STROCSS 2021 guideline. RESULT: In all procedures, among cross-matched blood units 64.1% were unutilized. Depending on the urgency of the procedures about 77.7% of cross-matched blood units were not utilized in elective patients. In emergency procedures, the majority (64.3%) of cross-matched units were transfused. The overall blood transfusion indices result was C/T ratio, %T, and TI was 2.9, 33.5%, and 0.7, respectively. The overall blood transfusion indices for elective and emergency surgery are set respectively as follows C/T ratio (4.6 vs 1.5), %T (22 vs 78.8), and TI (0.4 vs 1.9). Among elective procedures, blood utilization was significant in orthopedic surgery with the value of C/T ratio 1.3, %T 66, and TI 1.4. In the rest of the elective procedures, blood transfusion indices were not significant. CONCLUSION: The overall blood utilization indices in emergency surgical patients were better than in elective and preoperative grouping, screening, and hold (GSH) is sufficient for elective surgical procedures to decrease wastage of valuable supplies.