title: Massive blood transfusion in choroid plexus tumor surgery: 10-years' experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe our 10 years of experience with childhood choroid plexus tumors (CPTs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Operating room and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  18 infants and children undergoing CPT surgery from 1995 to 2004, 11 of whom were younger than 12 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Perioperative hematologic and coagulation data were measured as well as estimated red cell volume variations (as a reliable index of blood loss) in the perioperative period, together with coagulation parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Greater blood loss was recorded in the infant group vs older children (percentage of estimated red cell volume loss, 1.31 +/- 1.79% vs 0.20 +/- 0.17% [P < 0.01] and 1.50 +/- 1.86% vs 0.29 +/- 0.21% [P < 0.01] on PICU admission and after 72 hours, respectively). Platelet count decrease was similarly noted (51.60 +/- 28.06 vs 27.57 +/- 11.98, P < 0.05, as percentage of preoperative count). Patients operated on in the neonatal period showed the highest blood loss and related coagulation impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Younger CPT surgery patients present an increased risk versus their older counterparts of massive bleeding resulting in hemodynamic instability and coagulative impairment.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Catholic University School of Medicine, Gemelli Hospital, 00168 Rome, Italy. marco.piastra@fastwebnet.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piastra
authors.forename: Concezio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Rocco
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tempera
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caresta
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zorzi
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Massimi
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pietrini
mesh_terms: D000768:Anesthesia, General; D035843:Biomedical Research; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016545:Choroid Plexus Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006488:Hemostasis, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D019990:Perioperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric