DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i05.001

Pages: 1180-1184

Background: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are frequently essential in cardiac procedures to correct anaemia, coagulopathy, blood loss, and hemdilution from pump priming. However, RBC transfusions have deleterious effects of receptor immune system leading to infections after cardiac surgery. Nevertheless, it is difficult to show the direct association between RBC transfusions and postoperative morbidities or mortality due to the fact that most patients undergoing cardiac surgery have multiple comorbidities and are critically ill. Hence, we conducted a study to assess the outcomes of perioperative allogenic RBC transfusions that underwent elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Methods: We retrospectively analysed 130 patients who underwent first-time elective isolated coronary artery bypass operations requiring cardiopulmonary bypass between July to December 2017 at our institution. Patients with transfusions were compared with those who had no transfusion. Pre-, intra-, and postoperative data were collected from medical records, operating notes and blood transfusions database. Chi-square test and student's t-test were used, and p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 75.3% of the patients received RBC transfusions. The median number of RBC units transfused per patient was 2. Compared to non-RBC recipients, RBC recipients were associated with a higher incidence of acute kidney injury (41% vs 60%, p=0.05), wound infection (18% vs 39%, p=0.038) and mortality (0% vs 11%, p=0.048). Nonetheless, there was no significant association between patients’ underlying comorbidities and postoperative morbidities or mortality. Conclusions: Perioperative allogenic blood transfusions for CABG requiring CPB were significantly associated with increased post-operative morbidities and mortality.