A cost comparison of allogeneic and preoperatively or intraoperatively donated autologous blood

Pre-Operative Autologous Blood Donation Does Not Affect Pre-Incision Hematocrit in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Patients. A Retrospective Cohort of a Prospective Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND

Pre-donation of autologous blood prior to spine fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has been used in deformity surgery. The effect of pre-donation on pre-operative hematocrit (Hct) remains debated. Multiple factors may influence pre-operative Hct including intravascular volume status, patient factors, and timing of pre-operative blood donation. The purpose of this study was to determine if pre-donation significantly lowers pre-incision Hct in AIS patients.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of a Level-1 prospective randomized trial was conducted. 125 patients from the homogeneous population were included. AIS patients undergoing a posterior only spinal fusion for AIS were separated into two groups based on their pre-operative blood donation history. Demographic variables, pre-incision Hct, and transfusion rates were compared between the two groups using the Student's T-test.

RESULTS

Pre-donation and non pre-donation groups had 28 and 97 patients, respectively. Pre-donation group was 75% female (21F, 7M) and non pre-donation group was 78% female (76F, 21M). There was no difference between pre-donation and non pre-donation groups in mean age (15.6 ± 2.2 vs 14.8 ± 2.2, p = 0.081), BMI (23.1 ± 4.2 vs 21.7 ± 5.3, p = 0.219), and pre-incision Hct (32.8 ± 3.4 vs 33.8 ± 3.1, p = 0.628). The overall transfusion rates were equivalent (32.1± 48.0% vs 25.8 ± 44.0%, p = 0.509), however, the rate of allogenic transfusion for the pre-donation group was significantly lower (3.6 ± 18.9% vs 25.8 ± 44.0%, p = 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports the use of pre-donation for AIS, without a significant drop in pre-incision Hct. Patients that donate are also much less likely to be exposed to allogenic blood. There may be a surgeon bias to recommend pre-donation in patients with a larger BMI and older age. Future studies are needed from a larger population of patients including those with non-AIS pathology.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

The pharmacokinetic profile of recombinant human erythropoietin is unchanged in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

In anticipation of future studies, we examined the pharmacokinetics profile of erythropoietin (EPO) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

METHODS

Cardiac surgical patients were enrolled into one of six groups: four cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) groups [placebo (n = 6), 250 IU/kg EPO (n = 3), 500 IU/kg EPO (n = 3), and 500 IU/kg EPO, two doses (n = 6)] and two off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) groups [placebo (n = 3) and 500 IU/kg EPO (n = 3)]. The EPO was administered prior to anesthesia and 10 min after CPB (if required). Blood samples for serum EPO were collected at baseline, 10 min after dosing, 5 min after sternotomy, during CPB or the equivalent for OPCAB (5, 15, 45, 60 min), and post-CPB (5, 15, 45, and 60 min, 6, 12 and 24 h, and daily until day 5).

RESULTS

Endogenous EPO increased within 24 h of surgery in the placebo group and remained elevated. There was approximately a 40% decrease in serum EPO concentration at the initiation of CPB due to an increase in circulatory blood volume. There were no differences in apparent volume of distribution in the plasma (Vc) (42.2 +/- 9.9, 39.8 +/- 6.3, 42.3 +/- 14.0 mL/kg), clearance (CL) (4.63 +/- 1.14, 3.44 +/- 0.68, 4.27 +/- 0.52 mL h/kg), and t((1/2)) (16.4 +/- 8.0 16.9 +/- 10.6, 22.4 +/- 9.3 h) between the CPB treatment groups. The pharmacokinetic profile of EPO in the OPCAB group was similar to that for the CPB groups: Vc = 39.3 +/- 7.0 mL/kg, CL = 4.98 +/- 0.17 mL h/kg and t((1/2)) = 17.1 +/- 18.1 h.

CONCLUSIONS

CPB had no apparent effect on the pharmacokinetics of EPO.

Costs associated with blood transfusions in Sweden - the societal cost of autologous, allogeneic and perioperative RBC transfusion

Anaemia is characterised by an insufficient number of red blood cells (RBCs) and might occur for different reasons, e.g. surgical procedures are often with associated blood loss. Patients who suffer from anaemia have the option of treatment with blood transfusion or medical treatment. In this study, the societal cost, for the case of Sweden, of RBC transfusion using three different techniques, i.e. allogeneic, autologous and intraoperative transfusion, was estimated. The analysis was based on information from interviews with hospital staff at large Swedish hospitals and from published data. The average cost for a 2 units transfusion was found to be Swedish kronor (SEK) 6330 (702 Euro) for filtered allogeneic RBCs and SEK 5394 (598 Euro) for autologous RBCs for surgery patients. Transfusion reactions accounted for almost 35 per cent of the costs of allogeneic RBC transfusions. The administration cost was found to be much higher for autologous transfusions compared with allogeneic transfusions. The cost of intraoperative erythrocyte salvage was calculated to be SEK 2567 (285 Euro) per transfusion (>4 units).

Autologous versus allogeneic transfusion in aortic surgery: a multicenter randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) and intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) in blood-conservation strategies for infrarenal aortic surgery.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Recent concerns over the risks of transfusion-related infection have resulted in sharp rises in the cost of blood preparations. Autologous transfusion may be a safe alternative to allogeneic transfusion, which has been associated with immune modulation and postoperative infection.

METHODS

This multicenter prospective randomized trial compared standard transfusion practice with autologous transfusion combining ANH with ICS in 145 patients undergoing elective aortic surgery. The primary outcome measures were the proportion of patients requiring allogeneic blood and the volume of allogeneic transfusion. The secondary outcome measures were the frequency of complications, including postoperative infection, and postoperative hospital stay.

RESULTS

The combination of ANH and ICS reduced the volume of allogeneic blood transfused from a median of two units to zero units. The proportion of patients transfused was 56% in allogeneic and 43% in autologous. There were no significant differences in complications or length of hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

Both ANH and ICS were safe and reduced the allogeneic blood requirement in patients undergoing elective infrarenal aortic surgery.

Blood conservation in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery

Concerns about the safety, inventory, and cost of allogeneic blood have led to a renewed interest in blood conservation. Autologous blood collection techniques, including preoperative autologous donation, acute normovolemic hemodilution, and perioperative blood recovery are routinely used as alternatives to allogeneic transfusion. In the future, these techniques may be combined with pharmacological strategies, such as presurgical erythropoietin therapy or red cell substitutes, to reduce further the need for allogeneic blood.