Possible impact of autologous blood towards elective open and laparoscopic surgery for colorectal carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
An alternative approach to the allogeneic transfusion is patient's blood collection before the operation, using or not using the human recombinant erythropoietin. The aim of this study is to evaluate the percentage of people undergoing an elective operation for colorectal carcinoma who could avoid allogeneic blood due to blood predonation.


METHODS
From January 1999 to April 2002, 249 patients (140 males and 109 females) underwent an operation for colorectal cancer. The most important parameter, used to estimate which patients are candidates for autologous blood predonation, is the before-treatment hemoglobin level. The other parameters we considered are the age of the patient, the absence of uncontrolled hypertension or clinically significant pathologies (except colorectal cancer), and the iron shortage.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study.


RESULTS
36.5% of the patients satisfied every criterion to begin autologous predonation without using the human recombinant erythropoietin; instead, 23.7% of patients needed the administration of the human recombinant erythropoietin and additional iron. The valuation of the transfusional prospects, based on sex and cancer location is very interesting.


CONCLUSIONS
Autologous blood predeposit in preoperational time turns out to be a method of increasing importance, thanks to the human recombinant erythropoietin.
Festa
Valentino
V
Second Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Italy.
Bosio
Paolo
P
Giraudo
Giuseppe
G
Cavuoti
Giuseppe
G
Soncini
Stefania
S
Morino
Mario
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D003082:Colectomy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin