title: Postoperative infections following autologous and homologous blood transfusions.
abstract: Perioperative homologous blood transfusion has been linked to immune suppression and increased risk of postoperative infection. Autologous blood transfusion may not be associated with increased risk of infection because it presumably is not immunosuppressive. Fifty recipients of preoperatively donated autologous blood were matched to 50 recipients of homologous blood who underwent the same procedure, and the hospital course was reviewed for evidence of postoperative infection in both groups. Postoperative leukocytosis and febrile episodes were more common in homologous blood recipients (17 and 6 vs. 12 and 4, respectively). Sixteen percent of the 50 homologous blood recipients had positive cultures, as compared to 4 percent of the 50 autologous blood recipients (p less than 0.05). This study suggests that the association of blood transfusion with infection may be partially abrogated by the use of autologous blood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York 10029.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Mezrow
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bergstein
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Tartter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000009:adverse effects*