title: Relationship of postoperative septic complications and blood transfusions in patients with Crohn's disease.
abstract: We prospectively studied 169 patients with Crohn's disease to determine if postoperative infectious complications could be related to perioperative blood transfusions. Postoperative septic complications developed in 18 of the 69 patients who received more than 1 unit of blood (26 percent) compared with 8 of the 100 patients (8 percent) who received 1 unit of blood or no blood (p = 0.0014). Previous operation, low body weight, and having an ostomy were also related to septic complications. Patients receiving more than 1 unit of blood were significantly more likely to have low preoperative serum albumin levels, to have undergone abdominoperineal or small bowel resection, and to have an ostomy. Postoperative septic complications were significantly related to perioperative blood transfusions after controlling for these potential confounding factors independently by subgrouping and simultaneously by using multiple logistic regression. Blood transfusion may be a more significant factor in postoperative immune suppression and susceptibility to infection than previously recognized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York 10029.
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Tartter
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Driefuss
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Malon
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Heimann
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Aufses
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012086:Reoperation; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin