Effective use of blood in elective surgical procedures

R. S. Seshadri, W. R. Odell, D. Roxby, A. A. Morley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The preoperative requests for crossmatching of blood in elective surgical procedures were studied at the Flinders Medical Centre, South Australia. The study revealed that surgeons order crossmatched blood on the basis of habit. This led to considerable time-expiry of blood, and to unnecessary use of laboratory personnel's time and reagents. The statistical information collected during the study was used to educate the surgeons to change their blood-ordering practice. In procedures where excessive blood loss is unlikely to occur, as a stand-by, a 'group-and-screen' procedure was substituted for crossmatching. A firm recommendation for maximum blood order in elective surgical procedures was also made. It is estimated that this approach would save approximately $80,000 per year per 350-bed general hospital in Australia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)575-578
Number of pages4
JournalMedical Journal of Australia
Volume2
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1979
Externally publishedYes

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