Bylapudiseshu Kumar
SESHU KUMAR BYLAPUDI1, Sadhasivam Ramasamy2, JATINDER SINGH3
1Kettering General Hospital, Kettering, United Kingdom. 2Milton Keynes University Hospital, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. 3University Hospital Leicester, leicester, United Kingdom
Abstract
Patients listed for day case Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and Laparoscopic Appendicectomy undergo routine preoperative Blood Grouping and Saving (GS). Blood transfusion administration in this context is reported as rare. Acquisition and processing of G&S samples costs a total of £31 per sample. This study reviewed blood transfusion use in this setting to evaluate if GS sampling was clinically required or an unnecessary expense.
Methods
Retrospective case note analysis of patients who had laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic appendicectomy from January 2019 to June 2020 was performed. Data collected included timing of GS, preoperative and postoperative haemoglobin, timing of blood transfusion and number of units transfused.
Results
Of a total of 613 patients, 323 patients had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 256 (78.8%) of these had a preoperative G&S sample.
290 patients had laparoscopic appendicectomy. 190 (65.5%) of these laparoscopic appendicectomy patients had preoperative GS sample.
Overall, none of the 613 patients received a transfusion in the 30 days around their surgery. The total cost of G&S was £22,196 for the cohort.
Conclusions
It appears that routine GS sampling is an unnecessary expenditure for day surgery patients like elective laparoscopic day case cholecystectomy or Appendicectomy. Targeted samples should be reserved for high-risk groups only.