Blood wastage and cholecystectomy: spin-off from a peer review

A review of the records of patients undergoing cholecystectomy or cholecystostomy disclosed that only 3.6% of the units of blood crossmatched in preparation for the operation were actually used. Even so, in half the instances only one unit of blood was transfused. It is concluded that before such operations, crossmatching of blood is rarely necessary and only in unusual circumstances.