title: Use of blood bank services in a burn unit.
abstract: Burn patients may need transfusions, especially during surgery. The purpose of the study was to determine blood bank services utilization at an urban burn center. This was a retrospective review (March 1999 to May 2004) of burn patient data on blood utilization. There were 1615 admissions; 800 (49.5%) of the patients had a type and screen (T and S); 180 of 1615 (11%) were transfused with 1691 red blood cell (RBC) units; 616 units of fresh- frozen plasma (FFP), 399 units of pooled platelets, and 38 units of apheresis platelets. Of the 180 transfused patients, 140 (79%) received RBCs, 11 (6%) received RBCs plus FFP, 23 (13%) received RBCs plus FFP plus platelets, and 3 (2%) each received RBCs plus platelets and FFP. Overall, 3393 red cell units were cross-matched, and 1691 units were transfused for a cross-match/transfused unit (C/T) ratio of 2.01. Seventy-three (5.7%) of 1282 of patients with 0% to 10% TBSA required transfusions; 42 (21%) of 193 with 11% to 20% TBSA; 24 (39%) of 61 with 21% to 30% TBSA; and 62% of patients with 31% or greater TBSA required transfusion (P = .001). As %TBSA increased, more of the cross-matched units were transfused: 37% in the 0% to 10% TBSA to 59% in the 30% or greater TBSA burn. The C/T ratio in the 0% to 10% TBSA was 2.69; only 18% of patients with a T&S received blood. Although most patients who underwent transfusion were in the less than 30% TBSA group, more of the red cell units were used in patients with a 30% or greater TBSA burn. Elimination of admission T&S and cross matches in burn patients with less than 20% TBSA may improve the C/T ratio in this cohort.
authors.affiliation: Blood Bank, Department of Pathology, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Mariano G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Yogore
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boral
authors.forename: Areta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kowal-Vern
authors.forename: Harita
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Latenser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001771:Blood Banks; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices