TOTAL POTENTIAL FREQUENCY OF AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD-TRANSFUSION IN OLMSTED COUNTY, MINNESOTA

Objective: To calculate the total ''potential'' frequency of preoperat ively donated autologous erythrocyte (red blood cell or RBC) units in the entire papulation of patients who received transfusions in a speci fic US county, in a hypothetical situation in which all patients who r eceived transfusions for elective surgical procedures (and were consid ered medically eligible for preoperative autologous blood donation [PA BD]) predeposited a number of autologous RBCs appropriate for their pr ocedure. Material and Methods: All Olmsted County residents who receiv ed RBC transfusions during 1991 and 1992 were retrospectively assessed for eligibility for PABD, Patients who were eligible to donate blood were assigned a number of autologous RBC predeposits appropriate for t heir scheduled procedure, Calculated total potential frequency figures for PABD were compared statistically on the basis of age, gender, and surgical service. Results: Study patients were eligible for PABD in 4 59 of 1,038 surgical admissions, The percentage eligibility for PABD w as similar across age and gender patient groups but differed across ad mitting surgical services, Reasons for ineligibility for PABD differed across the patient categories studied, Under the aforementioned assum ption, theoretically 786 of the 8,137 RBC units transfused to all stud y patients (9.7%) could have been provided by PABD. Conclusion: From t he standpoint of an entire community population, the total potential e ffect of PABD on the blood supply can amount to a maximum of 9.7% of a ll transfused units of RBCs, an upper limit that is similar across age and gender patient groups but differs across transfusing surgical ser vices.