The impact of autologous blood ordering and blood procurement practices on allogeneic blood exposure in elective orthopedic surgery patients.

The contribution of autologous blood ordering and blood procurement practices on subsequent allogeneic blood exposure in elective orthopedic surgery must be understood to address the role of aggressive autologous blood procurement in blood conservation strategies. The authors examined the relationship between autologous blood ordering, blood collection, and subsequent allogeneic blood transfusion in orthopedic surgical patients. Of 263 consecutive autologous blood donors reviewed, 179 (68%) successfully donated the number of units requested (blood ordering cohort). Of these, 17 (9.5%) received allogenic blood. Of 84 patients unable to donate the units requested, 23 (27%) received allogeneic blood (blood procurement cohort). Allogeneic blood exposure in the blood ordering cohort occurred at the same prevalence for patients asked to donate < or = 3 units or > or = 4 units (10[6.8%] of 146 patients and 7[6%] of 116 patients, respectively). In contrast, only 3 (2%) of 146 patients asked to donate < or = 3 units received allogeneic blood in the blood procurement cohort, compared with 20 (17%) of 116 patients asked to donate > or = 4 units (P < .01). The greatest prevalence of allogeneic blood exposure occurred in 13 (35%) of 37 anemic (hematocrit level 39% at first donation) patients in the blood procurement cohort who could not donate > or = 4 units as requested. The study indicated that both blood ordering and blood procurement practices in autologous blood donation programs are important factors in blood conservation efforts to minimize allogeneic blood exposure.