Blood Transfusion Practices in Major Orthopaedic Surgery

Blood forms a major component in the management of surgical patients in whom major blood loss is expected. In the past years, transfusion of allogeneic blood has been the mainstay of management of patients who have or are considered to be at risk of major bleeding, particularly in cardiac and orthopaedic surgery where blood loss can often be substantial. Studies have shown that in many countries across the world, over fifty per cent of red cells transfused were in surgical specialties (Cook 1991;Lenfant 1992;Regan 2002). For example, in Canada, 31% of all red cell transfusions were given in cardiac and orthopaedic surgery (Chiavetta 1996).