Survey on blood ordering and utilisation patterns in elective urological surgery

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Transfusion Medicine
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Blood transfusion is a critical medical service.
• Limited regional data exists on blood ordering practices for surgical procedures.
• This study addresses blood ordering for elective urological surgeries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess blood ordering practices for various elective urological surgeries.
• To compare requested versus transfused blood volumes.
• To evaluate the efficiency of blood utilization in urological surgery.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, cross-sectional study of 435 patients undergoing elective urological surgery.
• Data collected included patient demographics, surgery type, and blood transfusion details.
• Calculated cross-match to transfusion ratio (C/T), transfusion index (TI), and transfusion probability (T%).

Main Results:

• Mean requested blood units (2.8 ± 1.2) significantly exceeded mean transfused units (0.59 ± 0.24).
• The C/T ratio was 14.16, TI was 0.11, and T% was 8.85%.
• Only 8.5% of patients required transfusion intraoperatively, and 10.8% within 72 hours post-surgery.

Conclusions:

• Blood ordering for elective urological surgery far exceeds actual transfusion needs.
• Standardized blood order guidelines are recommended to optimize resource allocation.
• Implementing guidelines can decrease costs and reduce staff workload in transfusion services.