Perioperative Blood Transfusion Practices in Oncologic Thoracic Surgery: When, Why, and How

Introduction Available information on perioperative blood transfusion practices in oncologic thoracic surgery is scant and outdated. The purpose of this study was to investigate transfusion requirements in patients undergoing curative resection for lung cancer and to identify possible factors predictive of perioperative blood transfusion in our cohort of patients. Methods From 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2009, 317 patients underwent anatomic pulmonary resection. Patients who received at least 1 unit of red blood cells comprised the “transfused” group. Each case in this group was matched for surgical procedure with a control subject who did not require blood transfusion and was operated on during the same year; these patients comprised the “not transfused” group. Results A total of 75 patients (23.6%) received at least 1 unit of red blood cells during the perioperative period. Factors conditioning perioperative blood transfusion were: preoperative hemoglobin level ( p