title: Length of survival after perioperative transfusion.
abstract: To describe the post-transfusion survival of an entire, geographically defined population, we observed all residents of a US county who underwent perioperative transfusion before and after the introduction of a large autologous transfusion programme. We enrolled 444 and 1540 county residents, transfused in 1981 and in 1986-88, respectively. Complete follow-up (until death or for 5 years) was available on 1960 patients (98.8%). Of patients transfused in 1986-88, 67.6% were alive at 5 years, having survived for a mean (+/- SE) period of 46.15 (+/- 0.575) months. The survival statistics were 66.2% and 46.09 (+/- 1.047) months, respectively, for patients transfused in 1981 (P = 0.8424). Transfusion in 1986-88 vs. 1981 (with 615 [40%] vs. six [1.3%] patients receiving some autologous blood) did not have an effect on survival (P = 0.3892), following adjustment for age, gender, transfusion dose, receipt of a single-unit transfusion and transfusing surgical service. We conclude that the survival of an entire, geographically defined transfused population is substantially longer than that reported previously for patients referred to tertiary-care medical centres. The aggregate 5-year survival of patients transfused in 1981 and in 1986-88 does not differ, despite differences in patient case-mix and in perioperative transfusion practice, particularly as it relates to autologous blood usage.
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, USA.
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Vamvakas
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors