Use of blood in transurethral prostatectomy--routine or selective cross-matching?

In our series of 700 transurethral resections of the prostate 464 patients (66%) received no blood transfusions, while 121 patients (17%) received two or more units of blood. A significant relationship was demonstrated between the size of the prostate and the estimated blood loss, as well as between the presence of a preoperative urethral catheter and the blood loss.