title: Practice and costs of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in an oncological unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer related anemia impairs patient functioning. Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and erythropoietin (EPO) may relieve fatigue. Cost-effectiveness data have been requested.
  
  
  METHODS
  All transfusions administered at the Department of Oncology, University Hospital of North Norway (UNN) in 2005 were analysed, with a total of 118 patients entering the study. A cost of transfusion analysis was added and a sensitivity analysis conducted to clarify robustness. The 118 patients received 613 units of erythrocytes. In 6% of cases, the transfusion was the only cause of a hospital visit. One fourth of patients had bone marrow infiltration and two-thirds had undergone chemotherapy. The mean Hb levels of patients prior to and following transfusion were in the range 8.4-8.8 g/dl and 10.2-10.6 g/dl, respectively; one-third reached a non-anemic level (Hb > or = 11.0 g/dl). The median time interval between transfusions was three weeks and the annual cost was calculated at Euro 1,069/patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RBC-transfusion has a low cost.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø. jan.norum@unn.no
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Norum
authors.forename: Mari-Ann N
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D009664:Norway