title: Cross-match requirements in head and neck surgery.
abstract: An audit of blood-ordering practices was carried out to compare the number of units of blood cross-matched and the number transfused during elective head and neck surgery. Routine cross-matching of blood for laryngectomy or radical neck dissection was found to be unnecessary, and it is suggested that a preoperative policy of blood grouping, screening for irregular antibodies and saving patients' serum be adopted. Should blood then be required, this procedure enables un-crossmatched ABO-Rh(D) group specific blood to be released in an emergency with a high degree of safety. The routine cross-matching of blood can be supported for the remainder of the major head and neck operations, and guidelines as to the number of units that should be cross-matched are suggested. Implementation of these policies will reduce the number of units of blood unecessarily cross-matched, decrease the amount of time-expired blood, and lead to increased efficiency of blood utilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dempster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000601:surgery*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007825:Laryngectomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000601:surgery*; D037981:Neck Dissection; D013524:Surgical Flaps
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins