[Association of perioperative transfusion and postoperative complications after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the association of perioperative homologous blood transfusion (packed red blood cell, PRBC) and postoperative complications after radical gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer.


METHODS
From October 2010 to July 2013, a total of 636 patients undergoing radical gastrectomy at Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery at Hunan Provincial Tumor Hospital were divided into 2 groups according to perioperative blood transfusion (n = 170, 26.73%) or not (n = 466, 73.27%). Their clinicopathological data, such as age, gender, co-morbidities, surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss volume and pathological stage were retrospectively analyzed by case-control study model. And the transfusion group was further divided into subgroup by transfusion volume (total PRBC<3.0, 3.0-7.5 or >7.5 U) and timing (pre-, intra- or post-operative) to examine the association of transfusion volume and timing with postoperative complications by Logistic regression.


RESULTS
Thirty-two patients suffered from complications in the transfusion group (18.82%). And it was significantly more common than that in the control group (10.09% (47/466) , P < 0.01). Moreover, the complication rate (33.33% (12/36) ) was obviously higher in the large transfusion volume group (PRBC>7.5 U) than with those in the moderate (15.53% (16/103), P = 0.02) and low groups (12.90% (4/31) , P = 0.04). Infection was more common along with the total amount of transfused blood (6.45% (2/31), 10.68% (11/103) and 19.44% (7/36) in the low, moderate and large transfusion group respectively). Yet the differences were insignificant (P = 0.22). There was no significant difference of complication rates among the pre-, intra- and post-operative transfusion group classified by transfusion time (P = 0.39). And the postoperative infection rates were also insignificantly different (P = 0.88). Further Logistic analysis revealed that perioperative transfusion (OR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.40-5.27, P < 0.01) was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications after radical gastrectomy.


CONCLUSIONS
Perioperative blood transfusion is significantly associated with postoperative complications after radical gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer. And a positive correlation exists between infection and the amount of transfused blood. But there was no association between transfusion time and complications. Thus decreasing perioperative transfusion may reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and shorten the length of hospital stays.
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Hua
H
Xiao
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Yongzhong
Y
Ouyang
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Ming
M
Tang
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Wei
W
Tang
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Shuguang
S
Pan
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Bin
B
Yin
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Wei
W
Luo
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Hu
H
Quan
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Xiaoxin
X
Qiu
Department of Gastric, Duodenal & Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China. Email: zuochaohui@vip.sina.com.
Chaohui
C
Zuo
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059035:Perioperative Period; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D055815:Young Adult