Major liver resection without a blood transfusion: is it a realistic objective?
BACKGROUND
Observations from 75 patients undergoing resection of the liver during a recent period have been analyzed with respect to the use of perioperative blood transfusions and operative outcome.


METHODS
Twenty-six patients were operated on for benign disease and 49 patients for malignant disease. Twenty-one patients underwent a right or left hepatectomy, 49 patients underwent removal of one or more anatomic segments of the liver, and five patients underwent wedge resection of a lesion in the liver. There was one postoperative death.


RESULTS
The median blood loss was 0 units (range, 0 to 15 units). Sixty-three percent of the patients underwent operation without the need for a blood transfusion. The median postoperative stay was 10 days (range, 4 to 88 days). In the group of patients who did not undergo a blood transfusion the median postoperative stay was 9 days (range, 4 to 28 days), and in the patients who had a blood transfusion it was 14 days (range, 6 to 84 days) (p less than 0.0003).


CONCLUSIONS
The performance of major liver resection without a blood transfusion is a realistic objective.
Jamieson
G G
GG
Centre for Digestive Surgery, Hospital Pontchaillou, Rennes, France.
Corbel
L
L
Campion
J P
JP
Launois
B
B
D000368:Aged; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000601:surgery*; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male