Impact of a programme of autologous blood donation on the incidence of infection in patients with colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effects of both autologous and homologous blood transfusion on the incidence of infective complications after elective operations for colorectal cancer.


METHODS
Prospective open study.


METHODS
University hospital, Italy.


METHODS
Recording of variables known to influence the development of infection.


METHODS
Infective morbidity and mortality.


RESULTS
Fifty-three patients (33%) deposited their own blood. Eighty-six of the 161 (53%) patients were transfused, 36 were given autologous blood, 48 homologous blood and 2 both autologous and homologous blood. These two were excluded from the analysis. Infective complications developed in 28 patients (17%), of which 7/75 (9%) were in patients who had not been transfused, 5/56 (14%) in patients given autologous transfusion, and 16/48 (33%) in patients given homologous transfusions (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified homologous blood transfusion as the only variable significantly associated with the development of postoperative infective complications. No patient died.


CONCLUSIONS
Transfusion of autologous blood was associated with significantly fewer postoperative infective complications than transfusion of homologous blood or no blood transfusion.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D065227:Transfusion Reaction