Clinical Analysis of Non-blood Transfusion Management in our Emergency Department

Park,  Chang Min; Chung,  Jun Young

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 18(1); 2007 > Article

Clinical Trial

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2007;18(1): 64-69.

Clinical Analysis of Non-blood Transfusion Management in our Emergency Department

Chang Min Park, Jun Young Chung

Department of Emergency Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. edklo@chol.com

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE:
The number of patients who refuse blood transfusion is increasing for not only religious reasons but also non-religious reasons. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of non-blood transfusion and to help the management of patients who want a non-blood transfusion.
METHODS:
We have studied on the case of 95 who refused blood transfusion. They visited the emergency department in Dong-A University Medical Center from November 2004 to July 2006, and these were reviewed retrospectively. We investigated sex, age, diagnosis, hemoglobin/hematocrit (Hb/Hct) level, the histories of transfusion. They were assigned to two groups according to the necessity of the blood transfusion. We analyzed differences in the average of Hb/Hct level, the histories of operation, numbers of nonblood transfusion, hospital stay, outcomes.
RESULTS:
The patients consisted of 40 males and 55 females. the most dominant ages of the patients were in the seventies (21 patients). A blood transfusion was considered to be necessary for 17 patients (17.9%). Nobody practically received a blood transfusion. Out of those 17 patients, the average of Hb/Hct level was 5.4 g/dL and 16.7% respectively. In addition, 9 patients (52.9%) were operated, 2 (11.8%) died, and all of the 17 patients recevied the non-blood transfusion.
CONCLUSION:
The treatment of patients who want non-blood transfusion management involves important medical considerations to decrease the risk of transfusion, to improve patient outcome. The development of appropriate non-blood transfusion strategies is increasingly important, and more studies are needed to define their role by controlled clinical trials.

Key words: Blood Transfusion, Hemoglobin, Operative procedure