Background: The purpose of this study was to identify preoperative patient, hospital, and surgeon characteristics associated with transfusion for spinal surgery.
Study design and methods: Discharge data were obtained from 39 Maryland hospitals for adult patients (n = 3988) who had a primary procedure code for spinal surgery between July 1997 through June 2000, and with these codes, surgeons and hospitals were characterized by annual patient volume. Outcome variables included any allogeneic transfusion, any transfusion, RBCs, autologous blood, FFP, or platelet transfusion. Logistic regression was used for univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results: Characteristics independently associated with an increased risk of receiving any allogeneic transfusion (n = 786) included age >54 (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3-2.1), age >66 (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 2.0-3.5), female sex (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.0), diabetes with chronic complications (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-4.9), and metastatic tumor (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.3-10.5), emergency room admission (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.4-3.8), and greater hospital volume (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.8-8.6). Characteristics independently associated with increased autologous transfusions (n = 574) included white race (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.4), female sex (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.8), and greater surgeon volume (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.4-9.1).
Discussion: This information can be used to provide informed risk-benefit discussions with patients regarding the risk for blood transfusion as well as to target high-risk patients and institutions for interventions to reduce the risk of exposure to blood components.