Key result
Routine crossmatching of blood was highly inefficient in elective general surgery, with an overall crossmatched-to-transfused ratio of 36.25, indicating substantial and unintentional over-ordering.
Why the study?
How efficiently is blood used in elective general surgery, and what are the causes of overordering?
Population
Patients undergoing elective general surgery in Portsmouth and surgical teams in Wessex
Design
Cohort
Authors
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May warrant local audits of blood ordering in elective surgery; this Level 3 cohort study leaves open whether protocols safely reduce waste.
Observational (n=1,120)
Yes
How efficiently is blood used in elective general surgery, and what are the causes of overordering?
Routine crossmatching of blood for many elective general surgeries is unnecessary and leads to wasted resources, which can be mitigated by local audits and 'half hour crossmatch' protocols.
John A. Smallwood (1983) conducted an observational in Elective general surgery (n=1,120). Routine blood crossmatching practices was evaluated on Crossmatched to transfused (C/T) ratio and transfusion index. Routine crossmatching of blood was highly inefficient in elective general surgery, with an overall crossmatched-to-transfused ratio of 36.25, indicating substantial and unintentional over-ordering.
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