Intraoperative blood transfusions in burn patients

Area of Science:

• Burn surgery
• Transfusion medicine
• Surgical outcomes

Background:

• Donated blood is a critical, limited resource in healthcare.
• Burn wound excision frequently results in substantial intraoperative blood loss, necessitating transfusions.
• Accurate estimation of blood loss during surgery is challenging, making intraoperative blood product utilization a key metric.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing intraoperative blood product administration during burn wound excisions.
• To develop a predictive model for blood product needs in burn surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 166 patients undergoing 563 burn wound excisions over 5 years.
• Collected data included patient and burn characteristics, surgical details, and laboratory values.
• Linear regression analysis was used to determine factors affecting blood product transfusion and generate a predictive model.

Main Results:

• The total area of burn excised was the primary predictor of blood product volume administered.
• Preoperative hemoglobin, international normalized ratio, and platelet count correlated with specific blood product transfusions.
• A predictive model was successfully generated to assist in preoperative blood product ordering.

Conclusions:

• Burn excision volume and preoperative hematological/coagulation parameters significantly influence intraoperative blood product administration.
• Prospective validation of the developed predictive model is recommended for optimizing preoperative planning in burn care.