The objective of this study was to understand the determinative factors for packed red cell transfusions in elective digestive tract surgeries in four hospital units in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Retrospective analyses were performed by collecting data from the clinical records of patients submitted to elective digestive tract surgeries from June 2007 to December 2008 at these four hospital units. Eighty-one cases (42% females and 58% males) were included in this study. The average age was 55.5 years old (Standard deviation ± 19.11 years). The commonest reported underlying disease was neoplasia (42%). Of these patients, 38 (47%) were transfused in the immediate preoperative period, 28 (34.6%) during the surgery and 37 (45.7%) in the immediate postoperative period. In the univariate analysis, there was an association between the data of transfusions and the different institutions. In the surgical phase, there were correlations between transfusion and the reason for transfusion, RH factor (Rhesus), institutional policy and the underlying disease. In the postoperative phase, no association was identified. In all phases, there were not correlations between the type of surgical procedures, ASA index (American Society of Anesthesiology), and hemoglobin and hematocrit values. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the blood transfusions in elective digestive tract surgeries were heterogeneous between hospitals and were not related to specific laboratorial values; they were associated to the underlying pathology, but not with the type of surgical procedure and generally followed the criteria of the healthcare specialist.
Digestive system surgical procedures; Erythrocyte transfusion; Blood componente transfusion
