title: Cost effectiveness of autologous blood transfusion--a developing country hospital's perspective.
abstract: An autologous blood donation program was set up at National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi Lagos in 1992 in response to the rising sero prevalence of HIV observed in our "relative replacement" donors. A retrospective batch analysis of patients who received autologous transfusion and those who received homologous blood in our hospital in 1997 was carried out. Based on hospital charges, the mean charge (from the day of operation and excluding the cost of surgery) was dollars 116 (+/- dollars 7), median dollars 102 for those who donated and used their own blood compared to the mean charge of dollars 259.7 (+/- 116.3), median dollars 224, for homologous blood recipients (P=008). This was found to be due to a significant difference in the means of length of hospital stay of 21 days for autologous blood recipients, 34 for homologous blood recipients (P=0.009). The rate of infection was 85.7% for homologous blood recipients and 14.3% for autologous blood recipients. There was no significant difference in the means hospital charges, length of hospital stay and rate of infection in the entire population of patients who received blood transfusion when analysed by ward and consultant. We conclude that homologous blood transfusion in this hospital is significantly more expensive than autologous transfusion mainly due to greater infective morbidity in homologous blood recipients.
authors.affiliation: Department ofPathology, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos.
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Nnodu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Odunukwe
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Odunubi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ekanem
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Njoku
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies