[Blood transfusion in patients undergoing heart transplant surgery]

In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, one of the most common complications is bleeding. There are risk factors associated with bleeding and transfusion during or after cardiac surgery. The decision of blood transfusion depends on the individualized characteristics of each patient.

To determine the characteristics that influenced blood transfusion, aside from the frequency and proportion of the use of blood components.

We identified patients who underwent heart transplant surgery and the frequency of those who required transfusion. The proportion of the use of blood components, the characteristics of the surgical intervention and factors that influenced transfusion and mortality were determined.

We included 19 patients who underwent heart transplant surgery. 89.5% received blood transfusion. The mean amount of blood products used during surgery and hospitalization was 2.10 red blood cells, 1.10 fresh frozen plasma and 0.89 apheresis platelets. The odds ratio for transfusion in surgery was 1.4 for mortality.

89.5% of the patients required blood transfusion either in surgery (73.7%) or during hospitalization (68.4%). Age, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and length of stay represented risk for transfusion. Age over 45 years and transfusion in hospitalization increase the risk of mortality.