Perioperative Blood Transfusion and Postoperative Outcome in Patients with Crohn’s Disease Undergoing Primary Ileocolonic Resection in the “Biological Era”

Background Perioperative blood transfusion has been shown to be associated with inflammatory response and immunosuppression. Patients receiving blood transfusion may have an increased risk for developing postoperative morbidities. The impact of blood transfusion on the postoperative recurrence of Crohn’s disease (CD) has been controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of blood transfusion on postoperative outcomes in CD in the current biological era. Methods This historical cohort study involved data collection and analysis of CD patients who underwent the index ileocolonic resection in our institution between 2000 and 2012. Postoperative complications were compared between the transfused and nontransfused patients. The effects of perioperative blood transfusion on postoperative complications and disease recurrence were analyzed with both univariate and multivariate analyses. Results A total of 318 patients were included in the study, and 52 of them (16.5 %) received perioperative blood transfusion. Blood transfusion was found to be associated with an increased risk of postoperative infectious and noninfectious complications both in univariate ( P